<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Promises, Promises by LunaD</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24484960">Promises, Promises</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/LunaD/pseuds/LunaD'>LunaD</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TV 2003), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - All Media Types</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst, Donatello-centric, Drama, Family Drama, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Mostly hurt, Suspense, a bit of mystery, some blood and injury</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 03:54:08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>40,427</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24484960</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/LunaD/pseuds/LunaD</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>There was a stillness in the air, a thick atmosphere of uncertainty choking out any other thoughts other than the singular question plaguing each brother. Where the shell was Don?</p><p>When Donatello goes missing, his brothers set out to search for him, unaware that they are racing against the clock for their brother's life.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>51</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>95</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>You can't keep me from making Donatello whumps. This time with a bit of family drama to boot.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Raphael emerged from his den, his yawn loud enough to alert everyone in the lair of his presence. He rubbed his eyes with the palms of his hands, forcing the sleep fog from his vision. His bandana hung loosely around his neck as he lumbered into the open area. </p>
<p>“Well look who finally decided to join the living.” Raph turned his gaze to the couch, seeing the back of two of his brother’s heads. The blue light from the array of televisions lined their figures in the dark. He could hear the roaring sounds of the racing game before he could make out the images on the TVs. </p>
<p>“Don’t agitate him,” Mikey elbowed Leo, “you know how cranky he gets after his beauty sleep.” The motion caused Leo’s car to swerve off screen, causing it to collide with the railing before exploding.</p>
<p>“Hey!” Leo glared at him.</p>
<p>Mikey jumped up, whooping with victory as his car passed the finish line. As Mikey chanted his win at the unamused brother, Raphael trudged into the kitchen. He could hear Mikey’s sudden cry as he entered, confident that Leo had smacked him with one of the throw pillows.</p>
<p>He opened the fridge, his eyes grazing over its contents. There were several expired leftovers, no doubt their maker being Mikey. Everyone was too afraid of the contents to brave eating them. He sighed as he spotted a few mystery liquids in containers on the top shelf. Donatello had written in bright purple lettering ‘do not eat, highly dangerous’ on them all. Raph had gotten after him before for keeping his experiments in the same fridge as their food. Especially after the time Mikey had used one of his beakers in a cooking experiment, the heat from the pan causing a smokey explosion. The kitchen smelled like death for at least a week after. His stomach churned at the memory. Needless to say they ate out a lot that week.</p>
<p>Everytime Raph had chastised him, Don had sheepishly replied that he hadn’t set up the fridge in his lab yet, but that he was working on it. Soon Raph spied the cardboard box of pizza half hidden under the leftovers, obviously being the only edible thing in here at the moment. He grabbed a slice of the cold cheese and spun the box onto the counter, calling out to his brothers as he stuffed his face with the heavenly garlic encased bread. </p>
<p>“Any of you guys seen brainiac around?”</p>
<p>Leo replied as Raphael landed on the sofa next to them. “He said something about grabbing some parts for his new project earlier, but I don’t think he’s left yet.” Leo was leaning towards the screen, intensely focused as he managed to get his car almost in touching distance of his brother’s. As soon as Leo’s car did touch the backside of the orange one, Mikey swerved his into Leo’s, causing it to yet again run off the road.</p>
<p>Leo straightened his back, letting out a long and drawn out “No!” as he did. Raph shoved the rest of the pizza into his mouth, clapping his hands together to dust off his crumb ridden palms as he stood. Mikey called out to Raph, telling him to move his big butt out of the way of the screen. Raph slowly obliged, making sure to swipe at his younger brother on the way out. Mikey’s mask became askew, blocking his vision. Leo took this chance to pass his brother on the road, only for an AI racer to knock him back into third place as he attempted to pass the finish line.</p>
<p>Now satiated, Raph sought out his purple banded brother. He entered the garage, stretching as he called out. “Hey Don, did you finish the tune up on the bike yet?” He let out a low grunt as his back popped before continuing. “I was hoping to take it out for a spin.” </p>
<p>This particular part of the garage itself was starting to look like it’s own junkyard. Raph wondered how in the world his brother managed to find anything in the mess. It was almost as bad as Mikey’s bedroom. Almost. At least there wasn’t the smell of rotting food from long forgotten wrappers. Although, with how often his brother forgot to eat, he almost wished it had. He looked around any big piles of projects, figuring the brainiac had been too occupied to have heard him. Raph tentatively made his way through the chaotic maze-like path, only to stub his toe on a stray chunk of machinery. He cursed, attempting to right himself before he stumbled into a large pile of potentially sharp metal. </p>
<p>“Jeez Don, you’d think this stuff is a fire hazard!”</p>
<p>Donatello popped his head out from a pile of tech, flipping up his goggles to get a better look at his brother. His form was completely hidden behind the half complete projects surrounding him. “Don’t be absurd, half of this stuff isn’t even combustible.” He thought a moment before quickly adding, “Yet.”</p>
<p>Raph nursed his foot as he continued, trying not to let the anger from his stubbed toe seep into his words. “Did you finish the tune up on my bike? I’m really itching to take it out for a spin.” </p>
<p>He watched Don’s shoulders hunch a bit, still looking over the contraption in his hands. “Sorry Raph, I’ve been really busy. I promise I’ll get to it soon.”</p>
<p>Raph couldn’t keep his frustration at bay. “Don you’ve been saying that all week! It’ll only take you like an hour tops to fix. You know how cooped up I get around here, I’m going crazy! Can’t you just take a break from whatever you’re doing and take a look at it?”</p>
<p>“Whatever I’m doing?” Don pinched his brow. “Raph, this calliper is essential for the tank. I need to make sure it’s my priority before I work on anything else.” He glanced at his work desk, “No matter how badly I want to work on other projects.” He turned back to the device in hand, twirling a tool in his fingers. “Besides, I’d have to go out and find the piece that I need for your bike. I don’t have one here to replace the damaged gasket with.”</p>
<p>Raphael let out a forceful breath through his nose, “Donnie it’s been a week. I’ve been real patient but I can’t wait any longer. You keep promising and promising you’ll get to it but you don’t! I’m starting to think your promises don’t mean anything.”</p>
<p>Donatello closed his eyes, setting the caliper in his lap. He turned away from his brother, letting out a pent up breath. If Raphael was more observant he’d have seen the way his brother carried himself, how the intense prolonged stress had built up in his muscles. The goggles and mask hid the tired sunken eyes of the engineer well, making his brother’s none the wiser. Donatello preferred it that way in all honesty. He’d never allow his brother’s to know just how stressful it was making sure all their tech was in working order. Donatello told himself it was because he really did enjoy it, and if Leo knew, he’d no doubt tell the others they should stop coming to him when they needed help. Don enjoyed being helpful. Although he knew it wasn’t healthy, it made him feel important. It made him feel needed.</p>
<p>Suddenly Don felt a pair of rough hands force him to his feet. He clutched as he yelped. He was so focused on his thoughts he hadn’t realized that his brother hadn’t left. With a firm hand and a gentle voice, Raph moved him towards the exit. “You already told the others that you needed to go dumpster diving tonight. Why don’t we just get that over with, then you can fix up my bike and I promise I won’t bother you the whole rest of the week, alright?”</p>
<p>Don sighed, knowing that Raph wasn’t actually giving him a choice. Accepting his fate, Don placed a hand on his chin, “A week of uninterrupted work would be heavenly.” As much as Don hated to leave, having the garage to himself without Raphael working out, buffing his bike, or playing his music at irritating levels of volume wasn’t without its perks. Donatello set the calliper down on the table, grabbing his bo as he made his way towards the door. “Alright, I’m just going to be out for a bit. Shouldn’t take long.” </p>
<p>Raph chuckled, ready to finally let off some pent up energy with the fast speeds of his ride in the city. Without the foot around, it was one of the only ways he could. Sparring with his brothers was also an option, but Raphael enjoyed the occasional alone time. “Don’t forget this Einstein.” Raph threw Don’s coat at him as he searched for his duffle. “It’s cold as shell out tonight.”</p>
<p>Don thanked him, putting the warm coat on as well as a hat as he entered the main living room. Raphael jumped over the sofa, joining his brothers again as Don called to them. “I’ll be back in an hour.”</p>
<p>Without missing a beat, Mikey replied. “Can you bring back some pizza? Raph ate all the leftovers!”</p>
<p>Raphael smacked his brother on the back of the head, “Check your math bozo, I only ate one slice.”</p>
<p>Don sighed, shaking his head. “If I remember on my way back I will.”</p>
<p>“No!” Mikey dramatically cried out in defeat, “That’s ‘Donnie talk’ for I won’t!” </p>
<p>Suddenly Leo shot up, taking advantage of Mikey’s resignation to surpass him, finally claiming first. Don could hear the whooping cheers of the eldest as he exited the lair. Mikey pouted, placing the controller on the cushion next to him. “You only won because my heart was broken.”</p>
<p>For the next couple of hours they continued playing video games. Raph even opted to join after a while. Eventually Leo had given up challenging them. Getting last a few dozen times would knock the wind from the sails of anyone in all honesty. Raphael and Mikey were still racing, an AI having taken Leo’s place. Leo would be lying if he said he wasn’t a little salty that the AI was actually doing a better job than he had been. Instead the eldest had resigned to sit back and read a book as his brother’s continued to play. Leo had tuned them out, completely enveloped in the japanese novel in his hand. </p>
<p>“Alright, I’m done for the night.” With a sigh Raphael put the controller down, flicking Mikey in the head as he moved around the couch. “Gonna go see if Ol’ Donnie finally fixed up my ride. It’s dark enough to finally go out.” He made his way back into the garage, searching the untouched piles of tech for his brother. </p>
<p>“Donnie you in here?” Raphael blinked at the silence. He didn’t sense his brother anywhere. Raph grumbled, scanning the lab for his red motorbike. He moved gracefully around the chaotic path once more, this time aware of the jutting metal slab that had tripped him last time. He caught a corner of the red polished metal nearby and made his way over to it. Since he was no longer in the garage, maybe that meant his brother had finally finished it’s repairs. Raph really didn’t feel like waiting on his brother any longer.</p>
<p>Unfortunately as the bike came into full view, Raphael noticed that it was indeed still not finished. In fact it wasn’t even rideable. The wheels were off and parts of the engine were on the floor next to it. Frustrated, Raphael growled, kicking the nearest hunk of junk into the wall with a loud clash. He stomped over to Donnie’s lab, figuring he had yet again forgotten about his bike when he got back. He yelled for his brother as he entered the hollow train car, letting him know just how very little patience he had left. Raph searched under the tank, the tables, even the subway car itself, searching for the hidden genius. Donnie was nowhere to be found.</p>
<p>He stared at Donnie’s main desk. Papers, blueprints, intricate gadgets, and a flurry of sticky notes covered every visible surface. He picked up a particularly large blueprint, whistling as he made out the design. It was an armored sub, several notes lined the side. Raphael couldn’t make heads or tails of the names of each spec, but he did know what each drawing was of. There was a large main cannon that seemed to tuck into the belly of the sub, as well as a personal propelling motor that someone could use at the back. </p>
<p>Raphael felt his anger slowly drain away. Don really was amazing. It must be impossible to find time to finish all these ideas he has, especially when the only technology he has access to is the leftover junk they find in the metal trash lots. His brother really was something special. Raphael admired many qualities about Donatello, and as much grief as he gave him, his intelligence was one of them. A while ago Raphael had asked Don to show him how to tune up his bike. The real reason was that he was sick of waiting for Don to do it when he asked, but when Donatello’s face lit up at the opportunity to teach his older brother about mechanics, Raph had felt a twinge of guilt. So Raph stuffed his reasons down, and asked Don to teach him more about machinery as time went on. He really enjoyed seeing how happy sharing his knowledge and teaching him had been for Don, and Raphael himself started to feel more accomplished. </p>
<p>Eventually Donatello was confident enough in Raph’s abilities that he occasionally asked for help with repairs of the tank. There were still things that Raphael didn’t know how to do, and certain kinds of repair just went over his head. A lot of machinery was like a puzzle, and although it was difficult for Raph to understand at first, he could see why his little brother enjoyed it so much. Being able to repair something on your own, and have it work, was thrilling. Being in the garage and learning with Don had been a nice way to spend time with his brother. They didn’t have too much in common, so finding ways to hang out was hard, so repairing things under the guise of hanging out had been Raphael’s way of doing things.</p>
<p>He looked back to the blueprint in his hands, his eyes gazing over his brother’s chicken scratch lining the side of the paper. Most of the words had been scrawled out, but one had been circled in red, several question marks trailing after. </p>
<p>“The Sea Turtle?” Raph read to himself, chuckling, “A little on the nose Donnie-Boy.” He set the blueprint back on the desk, noticing a stray sticky note on his computer screen. <i>Getting some parts at the junkyard.</i> He must have written this before Raph had found him in the garage earlier. Resigning with a sigh, he returned to his other brothers in the living room. Raph looked down at Leo, who was laid back on the sofa, his arms crossed as he watched his little brother through the pages of his book. “Anybody know when Don’ll be back?”</p>
<p>“He should be back soon, it’s only been like an hour.” Mikey replied without taking his eyes off the screen. </p>
<p>Leo turned to his brother, placing his arm across the couch to get a better view. “Mikey, he’s been gone longer than that.” Leo placed his hand on his chin for a moment, thinking. “In fact he should have called by now.” Leo took out his phone, checking the screen. There were no missed calls, but Donatello had sent him a text message that simply said ‘on the surface’. It wasn’t totally uncommon for him to do that instead of calling, but that still didn’t explain why Don wasn’t back yet. While it was entirely possible he simply lost track of time, something didn’t sit right with Leonardo.</p>
<p>He pulled up Donatello’s location, using the GPS connected to his shell cell, only for it to be non-existent. Confused, Leo clicked on the text message his brother had sent, bringing up the meta data connected to it. Their text messages had locations tied to them, Don had made sure of that, but when the coordinates popped up on the map, it only confused Leo more. </p>
<p>“That’s odd.”</p>
<p>“What?” Raph leaned over Leo’s shoulder, trying to get a better look at the screen.</p>
<p>“The location he sent me isn’t at the junkyard, it’s at a freight yard near the river on the east side of Manhattan.”</p>
<p>Mikey finally turned away from the screen, trying not to let Leo go into full blown mother hen mode. He really didn’t want to quit playing just because Leo felt the need to track down their brother in the freezing cold. “Maybe he just needed some very specific junk, like ship related junk?”</p>
<p>“I can’t believe it!” Raph roared, surprised that Mikey’s suggestion might actually be right. “He blew me off again!” The anger from earlier in the lab appeared back in full blown waves, “He was supposed to get parts for my bike tonight, he promised! Instead he’s still working on his own dang projects.” Mikey and Leo looked to him, both brothers waiting for Raphael to elaborate. Raph crossed his arms, “There was a blueprint in his lab for some kind of submarine.”</p>
<p>“I suppose that makes sense.” Leo was quiet for a moment, still staring at the dot on the screen.  “I’ll still call him, just in case.” Leo stood, his phone already ringing at his ear. Raphael was already fuming, thinking of the confrontation he’d be having the moment his brother walked through that door. They’d be having words. Raph and Mikey were quiet as they waited, ready for Donnie’s voice to finally put Leonardo at ease. </p>
<p>They continued waiting.</p>
<p>Leo ended the call, having only received his voicemail.</p>
<p>“Maybe he’s got his hands full on a nice find at the moment.” Mikey offered, “I’m sure he’ll call back soon.”</p>
<p>“Yeah, you know how focused he gets, dude’s always forgetting to eat or sleep when he gets on a roll.” Raph added, his voice low and seething. “Sometimes it feels like the genius even forgets his own brothers at times.”</p>
<p>Leo ignored them, dialing Donnie’s number again. When that too, went to voicemail, Mikey and Raph looked at eachother.</p>
<p>“Maybe we should check it out, just to be safe.”</p>
<p>The night had grown colder. The winter winds having picked up speed, causing the soft snow flakes to feel like small shards against their tough skin. Donatello’s signal had still not reappeared, the missing dot causing a deep knot to form in the leader’s stomach. The brothers dived behind the crates outside of one of the warehouses. There wasn’t anyone in sight, but the howling in their ears made for good cover for their enemies.</p>
<p>Mikey pulled his scarf closer to his face, a violent shiver running up his spine.  “Let’s hurry before my fingers freeze off!”</p>
<p> Leo silently motioned for them to climb the fire escape on the side, pushing open one of the windows lining the very top of the building. The three jumped down into the warehouse. The building was cold, but protected them from the harsh wind. The warehouse was completely silent, not a single light was on. Several boats were suspended with ropes. Large tables of tools and parts lined the nearby wall. A tall electric ladder was extended up to one of the far seafaring vehicles. </p>
<p>Mikey stared up at the empty industrial hooks. The light from the street caught on the metallic hue, creating an eerie atmosphere. Mikey whined, sticking close to his brothers. “Dudes this place has some serious horror movie vibes.” A long drawn out rusty creak was heard overhead, causing Mikey to let out a yelp and draw his nunchucks. “Okay, Don’s not here. Let’s go back home!”</p>
<p>Raph slapped his brother upside the head, “Cool it Jackie Chan, it’s just the wind coming through the window.” Although, Mikey did have a point. It didn’t seem like anyone was here, let alone if anyone even had been in the last few days. Raph cupped his hands around his mouth, taking in a lungful of air. “Don, we know you’re here! Come out already!” Raph’s booming voice echoed, bouncing off the metal walls of the building with a crisp sharpness. Leo gave his brother a look, having taken out his katanas on instinct. Raph simply shrugged his shoulders, “What? There’s no one here anyway.”</p>
<p>But Raphael was right, there was no one here. Nothing stirred after Raph’s voice had shattered their element of surprise. If Don had been here, he would have greeted them by now. Leo called his brother’s cell again, this time leaving a concerned voicemail. Before he could finish the message, he heard his own cell beep in his ear. Quickly he ended the call, checking the notification. In an instant Mikey was on him, questioning him if it was their brother. In fact, it had been. Sort of. It was a singular ping from Don’s GPS location. Trouble was though, it immediately disappeared again. </p>
<p>Raph crossed his arms, still believing they were worrying over nothing. “Maybe he butt dialed you.”</p>
<p>Leo narrowed his eyes at the screen, opening up the data for the new message. “No, something’s off. I can feel it.” He read over the timestamp, clicking on the location information tied to it. The map loaded on their current location in the shipyard for a second, before shooting across town. </p>
<p>“Is that where he is?” Mikey questioned from over Leo’s shoulder. </p>
<p>Leo’s brows were still knit together as he zoomed in on the building housing the dot. “At least, that’s where the message came from. I’ve never seen this building before. It looks like a research center.”</p>
<p>Raphael pulled out his own cell, growing impatient. “Maybe he’s blowing off some steam of his own with other nerds who know what his techno babble means.” He pulled up their brother’s number, happily allowing it to go to voicemail. Mikey and Leo watched as their hot-headed brother left a very loud and threatening message on their missing brother’s cell. It contained several curses, as well as a promise to kick his shell the moment Raph saw him for making him come out here in the cold with his brothers instead of the relaxing alone time with his bike he was promised.</p>
<p>After Raph finished, Mikey turned to Leo. “Well now he’s definitely not going to call us back.”</p>
<p>Leo placed his cell back on his belt, turning his brother’s attention back to him. “We should get to the research center, hopefully he’ll still be there.”</p>
<p>Raph groaned, stepping up close to Leo. “Just leave him be, whether accidental or not, he sent us a message. Clearly if he wanted to talk to us he would have already.” Raphael was done. It was cold, he was disappointed and angry. And in all honesty he didn’t really feel like seeing Don at the moment. The longer this went on, the more likely he felt his next greeting to his brother would be with his fist.</p>
<p>This time it was Mikey who stepped up, “I dunno Raph, I’m with Leo on this one. What if he can’t call us and the message is his way of sending his distress?” He placed his weapons back in his belt, pleading to Raph with his eyes. “There’s no harm in checking it out on our way back.”</p>
<p>Raph clenched his fists. He was still angry at his brother for continually blowing him off, but he was outvoted. He considered going back alone, letting his brothers trail after their AWOL brother, but if Don actually did need their help, Raphael didn’t want to be the one who ditched him when Don needed them most. Raphael sighed, conceding. “Alright leader, where we headed?”</p>
<p>The brothers moved silently through the halls, careful of the cameras lining each corner. Leo checked his cell once more before beckoning to the far door in the hall. “The signal came from over there.” Leo rolled up to the door, noticing the keypad next to it, the red light indicating that it was locked. Still, Leo tried the door, hoping for the best. When it didn’t budge, Raph snickered. Instead Leo peered in through the slim window on the door. The room was completely dark, but he could see a few emergency lights lining the counters under cabinets. The room looked like it was some kind of testing area, several computers and file cabinets littered the rest of the area in open cubicles. There was a single computer screen on, alerting Leo that someone had been here recently as the display hadn’t gone to sleep yet. </p>
<p>Leo turned back to his brothers, keeping his voice low. “If not Donnie, then someone was here recently.”</p>
<p>Raph shook his head, “Why would Don even come here? It doesn’t exactly look like the kind of place we would break into. There’s not even that creepy ‘secretly a delusional scientist organization’ vibe.”</p>
<p>“That’s true, it said online that this place dealt with electronic signaling and communications, which hardly sounds threatening.” Before they could come to any conclusions, Leo’s phone went off again. He quickly checked it, his expression unchanging. </p>
<p>“Is it Don?” Asked Mikey.</p>
<p>“Is it another useless goose chase?” Raph followed up sarcastically. </p>
<p>“Maybe.” Was all Leo offered. He opened the new location on the map, yet again several blocks away. </p>
<p>“Well? Where is he now?” Mikey asked impatiently. </p>
<p>“It looks like another research center.” </p>
<p>Leo’s eyes widened, causing Mikey to force his way into Leo’s space, getting a better look. “What? What is it?”</p>
<p>Leo allowed his brother room to see as he replied. “It looks like the company deals with medical breakthroughs.” He looked to Raph, “Specifically biological treatments and diseases.”</p>
<p>Raphael couldn’t help his surprise from showing. What on Earth would their brother need at a place like that?</p>
<p>“I knew this day would come!” Both brother’s attention turned to the youngest, who burst out, shaking Leo as he spoke. “Don’s finally lost it! He's gone full blown mad scientist, and he’s going to use bio weapons to take over the world!”</p>
<p>“Quit messing around Mikey.” Raphael hit Michaelangelo, abruptly stopping the dramatic outburst. “This might actually be serious.”</p>
<p>Leo turned, already heading back down the hall. “Come on, let’s hurry.”</p>
<p>The icy metal of the fire escape pierced through the ninja’s woolen gloves. Raphael had taken off his, the warmth from his hands melted any snow that managed to stick to it, creating an irritating alternating cycle of wet and freezing.  All of the lights in the building were shut off, most, if not all workers, having gone home during the late hours of the night. Leo led them up to the twelfth floor. There were many security doors, but the elevator duct provided a quick means upward without a key card.</p>
<p>The problem arised when they actually made it to the floor in question. Each section of the hall had a security door, which had been active. If Don were here, he could have easily hacked each one to allow them entrance, but well, he wasn’t.</p>
<p>Fortunately, staying up to work on projects was a common trait among scientists, not just their brother. They only had to wait a few minutes before one of the workers returned to the floor, swiping their key against the pad as they ventured forth with a stifled yawn. Leo used his katana to catch the door before it closed, allowing them to follow after. </p>
<p>As they got to the far side of the hall, Leo halted in front of a door. The archives room. Mikey read the plaque next to the door, whispering to his brothers. “If Donnie wanted to read some dusty old science notes, why doesn’t he just go to a library?” Leo and Raph ignored him, quietly sneaking inside. The room was spacious and packed with tall computer servers that hummed and blinked. A singular consol stood on a podium in the middle, its monitor still active. </p>
<p>As Leo moved towards it, Raph chuckled at Mikey. “Guess these archives aren’t in any libraries.” </p>
<p>Leo moved the mouse, causing the screen to light up fully. He read over all of the shortcuts on the desktop, but none of them really gave him anything to go off of. He opened up the archives, struggling to find the recent searches. </p>
<p>“Why the shell is Donnie leading us on this wild goose chase, why doesn’t he just call us? He knows how bad we are at puzzling stuff together.”</p>
<p>“Speak for yourself.” Leo muttered.</p>
<p>The three brothers stood in the quiet lab, the white glow of the screens outlining the ninjas. The only sounds that could be heard was the humming of the servers, and the clacking of keys as Leo typed on one of the keypads. His search held no results, anything his brother had potentially found had been erased, leading them to another dead end.</p>
<p>Mikey was roaming the lab, searching the different rows of servers, eventually coming to a break table. There were sticky notes scattered on the board on the wall. Mikey didn’t understand any of the scrawlings, they were mostly formulas, reminders, or what he had to guess was science jokes. He turned away, a bit disappointed that he didn’t recognize any of the handwriting to be his brother’s. A secret message would have been a cool way to clue them in on their brother’s intentions.</p>
<p>“Leo, it’s no use.” Raph was leaning on one of the servers, his arms crossed as he huffed, clearly irritated. “If Don wanted to be found he would have called us by now, left a message somewhere, anything to clue us in on what he’s up to besides some glitched GPS ping.” Raph placed his hands on the server, letting the electronic heat warm his cold hands. “His cell’s probably gone haywire. He probably forgot to update the darn thing with one of his many  firmware updates.”</p>
<p>Leo continued to search what files he could, replying to his brother without taking his eyes off the screen. “This isn’t like Don, he doesn’t just go off on his own.”</p>
<p>“Donnie’s had plenty of adventures without telling us, he probably just wanted to do whatever plan his genius brain cooked up without us around for him to constantly explain his sciency mumbo jumbo to. And for all we know, his cell could just be on silent.”</p>
<p>This time Leo did turn to his brother, “He’s not like you Raph, he doesn’t just go off on his own <i>knowingly</i> without telling us what’s going on.” After a long moment Leo silently turned back, muttering to himself. “Some of us actually care that we worry about each other.”</p>
<p>A beeping on the screen pulled them back into their current task. The video feeds from the archive popped up, allowing Leo to scrub back the last hour, but the screen only displayed a corruption error. </p>
<p>“See,” Raph growled, “same as before. He’s made it clear, Leo. He doesn’t want us to find him.”</p>
<p>Leo huffed, growing tired of Raph’s impatience. “Wait, that’s my bad.” Leo opened the file in the correct program, this time the feed showed their current location in the archive. Leo scrubbed through the timeline of the last hour, but no one had come into this room besides them. Leo placed a hand on his jaw thoughtfully. “Why would he send us this location if he didn’t want us to find him? It doesn’t make sense…”</p>
<p>This time Mikey chirped up, reminding the two that their third brother was still within earshot. “Maybe it’s not himself that Don wants us to find, maybe it’s something else?”</p>
<p>Both Leo and Raph stared at their brother wide eyed. Then, Raph looked to Leo, “Could he?”</p>
<p>Leo turned back to the monitor. “I suppose so, but if he doesn’t want us to find him, what would he be trying to lead us to?” Leo scrubbed through the feed again, this time slowly moving through the timeline as he continued. </p>
<p>“There!” Mikey jabbed at the screen, yelling for his brother to go back. Sure enough, a figure stood in front of the same screen they were looking at. He was wearing a large obscuring coat, and a wool knit hat. The stranger typed hastily on the keyboard, inserting a flash drive into the server underneath. For a moment he was still. There was no audio from the recording, but it looked as though he was talking to himself, slightly irritated. Soon he hunched his shoulders, moving back to the keypad. The computer was angled far enough that the glare from the light blocked what the person was looking at. </p>
<p>Raphael peered over their shoulders, cynically stating that they didn’t even know for sure if that was him. The figure quickly plucked the drive from the server, darting out the door. Leo moved back once more, moving the feed frame by frame. As if hearing Raphael’s previous comment, the figure turned far enough for them to catch his face. </p>
<p>It was Donatello. </p>
<p>Leo paused the video, staring at his brother on the screen, looking for any sort of clue that would give him understanding for his brother’s actions. It did not. </p>
<p>Mikey starred along with him, his eyes squinting as he sneered, “What’s he wearing?” His finger tapped on the screen. The long overcoat looked tight on Donatello’s rounded form, and Mikey could have sworn he saw a light emanate from underneath it. Mikey couldn’t place the memory, but it looked familiar. </p>
<p>Raphael turned away from them, throwing his reply over his shoulder. “We’ve had that wrinkly old trench coat for years. One of these days we really gotta replace the thing before it busts at the seams.”</p>
<p>Leo erased the feed, having served its use. It wasn’t like Donnie to leave evidence like this behind, especially in human view. That meant he hadn’t erased it on purpose, surely he had wanted them to see it. “We still don’t know why he even came here. We need to figure out what’s significant about these locations, then we might be able to get to the next one before Donnie does.”</p>
<p>“Well,” Mikey offered helpfully, “they’re all science or technology buildings.”</p>
<p>“Listen,” Raph said as he made his way to the door, “I’d love to play Don’s little game all night, but I think we should just grab a pizza, go home, and call it a night. Donnie will let us know what’s going on when he’s good and ready.”</p>
<p>Leonardo would be lying if he didn’t consider it, the video had proven that their missing brother was in fact alive and not in any immediate distress. Could this all have just been a misunderstanding on Don’s part? Had the messages really been a simple error? As amazing as Don was, his gadgets weren’t perfect. A lot of their brother’s work was based on trial and error. Donatello himself had stated that there was no better progress than the progress of failure. But if that was the case, why hadn’t he just called them back?</p>
<p>The three turtles moved out of the building, Leo heavily considering following Raph’s lead home. But as they landed back on the fire escape, Leo’s phone buzzed once more. Raphael visibly groaned, throwing his hands up as he complained. “You’ve got to be kidding me!”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Sorry if there are any errors, I'm getting sick of rereading this. Now I understand why writers aren't their own beta readers.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Donatello didn’t have much time, the beeping below him a constant reminder of that fact. His lungs burned as the icy frigid air enveloped him, sucking the warmth from inside as he leapt from each rooftop. A sudden buzz at his hip caught him off guard, causing him to almost slip on the icy edge of his perch at the window. He caught himself, ignoring the tone as he lept again. Another call, no doubt from his brothers. As much as he wanted to answer, he couldn’t. He ignored the cameras in the building, it would take too much time to avoid them all. He would just have to delete the recordings later. <em> If there was a later </em>, he thought morbidly.</p><p>This facility was much more heavily protected than the last. And with good reason. The types of genetic weaponry that could be housed here was unfathomable. Don knew that they wouldn’t have any active builds on site, it wasn’t like a government building or the CDC. But with the raw components, and in the wrong hands, it certainly was possible. The thought sent goosebumps over Don’s reptilian skin. </p><p>He weighed his options. He could head straight up, hacking each locked doorway that he came across. But no doubt each one would have a different set of passcodes, and it would take time to unlock each. Potentially more time than he had. So Don made a decision, hoping that in the long run it would be worth it. He darted over to the security terminal, quickly scanning the room for any housing compartments. Several rows of computers lined the desks. A large wall of monitors spanned the left wall. At the far end there was a metal box attached to the wall. Donatello made a bee-line for it. He took out his small PDA-like device, tapping it to the electronic lock. The device buzzed to life as his code ran, the numbers changing faster than his eyes could catch. </p><p>After a few excruciating moments, the box clicked, and Don stuffed the device back into his duffle. As he ripped the small door open, papers fluttered by him. The seemingly harmless sheets turning deadly with Don’s haste. He hissed as he felt the paper cut his face. He turned to them. A clipboard housing sign in sheets for each keycard was attached to the door. At the back of the board he saw the informational chart, a diagram with each key connecting to their assigned floor. Having spotted the number of the cards he sought, he turned to the inside of the box. Inside held override keys for emergencies. Donatello swiped the cards, thanking his lucky stars that the gamble had paid off. </p><p>He made his way to the elevator, taping the plastic to the red light on the side panel, allowing him access. The elevator was so very painfully slow. Donatello started to think that taking the stairs up twelve floors would have been faster than this snail of a machine. But he couldn’t risk jostling the package strapped to him. He had to play it safe, and hope he could make up the time. As long as room 1247A was easy to locate.</p><p>There was next to no one in the building, apart from the occasional security guard or scientist working overtime. With the keycard in hand, Don had no problems avoiding trouble, ducking into the closest door as any footsteps came into earshot. His heart raced as he darted down the hall, searching each room number for the one in question. At first they seemed to all be in order, making Don realize that the room he wanted would be at the very end of the corridor. As he passed by room 1213C, they changed. He glanced at the opposite wall, the number reading 1235A. Figuring that it was possible all the rooms were in order of right to left instead of parallel, Don continued forward, keeping his eyes on the ascending numbers. </p><p>He halted where room 47A should have been, only to find another hallway with elevators. Confused, he moved passed them, assuming the rooms continued where they left off. Instead he found they started back up at 50. Donatello took a deep breath before moving back to the elevators. Near them was a fire evacuation diagram, thankfully with rooms labeled. He noticed that these elevators only went up, and that rooms 1240-1249 were located on the thirteenth floor, and not in fact on the twelfth floor. He raked an impatient hand down his face, muttering to himself with annoyance at the disorder. “I have some very strong words for the designer of this place.” </p><p>After a second elevator ride, Donatello managed to find the correct room. Suddenly, a beeping below him picked up, causing a crackle of sound to emanate from the phone at his hip. Don quickly peered at his notification, reading the message silently. <em> I’d hurry if I were you. </em></p><p>Donatello shoved the key card against the door, the loud smack emphasizing the power behind his voice. “I <em> am </em>hurrying. Your tasks are borderline impossible to complete in the timeframe you’ve given.”</p><p>The lock retracted, clicking back in place as Donatello shoved open the door. Inside was an array of industrial servers, all humming with life. Don wasted no time admiring the state of the art tech as he made his way to the console in the center. He tried to keep his hands from shaking as he pulled out the flash drive from his coat pocket. Fumbling with the drive, he inserted it into the server, allowing it to search for the files it’s programming sought. Sweat poured from him, his hands hovered over the cell on his hip. </p><p>The beeping stopped abruptly, followed by the return of the static laced tone. He checked the phone once more, the new message simply stating “Well done.”</p><p>Donatello looked back to the screen, noticing the upload was complete. He let out a sigh, resisting the temptation of his jelly legs giving way. He gripped his cell tightly, inhaling deep to still his racing heart. “I’ve done what you asked, now it’s time to keep your promise.”</p><p>For a moment there was nothing but the occasional pop of static from the receiver, but eventually the screen under him flickered back on. Another text. Another location. Twenty minutes. Don grit his teeth.</p><p>The amount of time was getting shorter. Now back in the unforgiving cold, Don made a bee-line for his new target. The constant adrenaline and lack of sleep were starting to take its toll on his body. His normally active brain second guessing and slower to form thoughts. Donatello calmed himself, retrieving his phone to double check the new location as he rounded the block. This proved to be a mistake. </p><p>A moment was all that was needed for his foot to connect with an unexpected patch of ice on the sidewalk. He flailed, the phone flying out of his hand as he moved to protect the device handbag strapped to him. His weight crashed to his left knee, the contact sending sharp stabs of pain up his body. He grunted, cold fear stilling him in that position. He waited, fearing the worst. A crackle of sound, muffled by the snow brought him back into action. He slowly retrieved his phone, reading the new message with a shaking hand.</p><p>
  <em> Tick-tock goes the clock, Donatello. </em>
</p><p>He breathed, moving to put the phone back on his person. He faltered for a moment, noticing the several missed calls and voicemails from his brothers. His heart grew heavy, knowing how much worry he was causing them. He missed them incredibly. His fingers itched to send them a message, but he couldn’t risk it. If this person had access to his phone, any messages or calls he made would alert them immediately, possibly sealing Donatello’s fate. No, there were too many unknown variables. Don darted towards the building, steeling himself to figure this out on his own. The last place he wanted his brothers right now was anywhere near him.</p><p>Donatello scaled the wall of the building. He had recognized the place immediately. Biotech was one of the leading companies in engineering technology. It had a strong partnership with the previous companies that Donatello had unwillingly raided. He should have guessed sooner that he would eventually end up here. Whoever the person threatening Don was, he was smart. Most lowlifes they dealt with, and even the Shredder, wouldn’t know what half of this stuff even was let alone how to use it. Although Don himself knew what each component was, there were an infinite amount of results they could become. </p><p>It was like core components of a recipe, you had the individual ingredients, but the resulting dish could be many different things. And that was only if Don knew all the ingredients. If they had a secondary set of components on hand, then that left even more possibilities. Secret ingredients be damned. There were too many unknown factors to accurately guess what his antagonizer had planned at the moment. But with the types of companies they had Don breaking into, it wasn’t good.</p><p>Another beep. The resulting notification, a reminder. Fifteen minutes. The majority of Donatello’s time was spent hacking the many security points in the sub level labs. He had thankfully known about this building and the layout. It was incredibly intriguing, and although most of Don’s scientific endeavours were in the mechanical realm, the biological field fascinated him. He moved past the welcoming atmosphere of the lobby, it’s open-arms design turned dull and eerie in the darkness. He moved to the elevator, using the PDA to gain access to the restricted sub levels. </p><p>The technology here was state of the art, and with good reason, well guarded. The floors below ground were grey and industrial-looking, a stark difference to the white and pristine feel of the lobby upstairs. The walls were concrete, providing protection from both potential radioactive waves or contamination from trials. Donatello took his time hacking each thick metal door that blocked him. He huffed to himself, slightly disappointed such a high tech facility was naive enough to rely only on technology for their security. </p><p>Don pulled out his cell. Noting the instructions that were sent to him. Soon, he located the terminal in question, one of the project leader’s desks. The computer was tethered to an encrypted LAN, keeping any outside force from hacking it. Not even malware could affect it without being uploaded from the source. Donatello wondered what secrets the files on this computer held and why it was so important someone had them. Under different circumstances, he would have loved to peruse the cluttered files. He glanced at the clock. Less than eight minutes left.</p><p>“Well, it’s now or never.” Don told himself, plugging his component into the encrypted desktop. It took a bit for his decrypter to allow him access to the computer, but when it did several windows popped up. His curiosity got the better of him, sacrificing a minute to look over the contents. Don clicked on the most recent files, selecting them all to open.</p><p>Donatello watched in awe as several state of the art patents popped up on screen. One after another they overlapped each other. They disappeared as quickly as they came, but Don was able to catch the gist of each. For a moment his terror had been replaced with giddy joy at the engineering prowess he was witnessing. Some of these were decades ahead. There was a whole spreadsheet on a completely energy efficient city plan for Manhattan. Diagrams showed skyscrapers lined with solar panels and planters, ensuring the smog filled city would be once again filled with carbon dioxide eating greenery. Machinery and robotic entrepreneurships and partnerships lined confidential documents, as well as state of the art subway systems.</p><p>Donatello could only dream of being able to use real tech for prototypes, or be on a team of other scientists at a company like this. But his biology forever prevented that dream from being anything more than it was. A dream. There were several more files, but the voice in his head pulled him away.</p><p>Donatello drummed his fingers on the desk. “What could you possibly want with such files?” When there was no reply, he continued to stare at the box. The ticking continued, the red numbers dwindling before his eyes. “I’m not playing your game anymore. The work this company is doing is too important.” To prove his point, Don threw the flash drive across the room, clattering as he continued with new found confidence. Don clenched his fists. “Do what you like, I won’t help you hurt innocent people!” He squared his shoulders, finding a sense of authority that Leo would have been proud of. </p><p>The timer didn’t budge. </p><p>Instead a voice emerged from his phone, deep and mechanical. No doubt not the holder’s original pitch. There was a tutting followed by a purr that made Don seeth. “You can’t bluff your way out of this child. You think I didn’t have a secondary plan?” Don’s confidence faltered as he picked up his phone. “You’ve proven yourself useful Donatello, but then again, so have your brothers.” The laughter from the voice sounded garbled and wrong thanks to the synthesizer, there was no doubt he would be hearing it in the nightmares to come. Don hastily ended the call in horror. What could they mean by that? Were his brothers in danger as well?</p><p>Another notification appeared on the screen before him. Not from his brothers. The message chastised the turtle for his nearsightedness as well as provided a teasing remark. “Why don’t you check your messages?” Don gripped the phone in his hand, noticing the timer on his chest had paused. He brought a shaky hand up to the screen, pulling up his voicemail. The first one was from Leonardo.</p><p>The icy flitters of the snowflakes had finally started to soften as the night had drawn on. The desolate quietness on the street only seemed to emphasize the emptiness the other three turtles felt without their brother. There was a stillness, a strange sense of calm that only the early hours of the morning could offer. Those hushed few moments where the world slept just before the sun peaked up over the horizon. Now that the howling winds had died down, Leonardo could make out the muffled crunching of his brother’s steps in the snow. Even skilled ninjas couldn’t silence the pillowed ground that the cold winter months provided. Mikey let out a loud and impressive yawn as they rounded the tall industrial building. Leo turned back to see the youngest rubbing his eyes, covering a second yawn with his hand. Raph was staring ahead into nothingness as they trudged on. Though he wouldn’t admit it, the leader could tell he was just as tired. </p><p>The ground floor of the building housed a wide open space. Large glass windows lined the entrance, giving off an inviting feel to the layout. Unfortunately for them, that meant that anyone on the street could peer inside and see who was there. Leo scanned the streets. There were no lights on. No stirring noises or far off sounds. In that moment, it felt like they were the only three people in all of New York. </p><p>Leonardo made his way to the front door, placing a hand on the cold frosted glass as his brothers followed. He pushed on the door, and to his surprise, it opened. He looked back to Raph, who simply shrugged and pushed it open wider. The three deftly moved into the building, on the lookout for any movement. Leo rounded the reception desk in the middle of the lobby. The white round enclosure housed two black office chairs with respective monitors. The inside was glassed off, separating them. Leo spotted a note next to one of the mouse pads. Craning his neck, he tried to make out the words scribbled under a pen. The font was hard to read, but it looked like memos for different messages left. He scanned the rest of the desk, spotting a framed picture of two children. Leo guessed that they couldn’t have been more than ten years at most. They were hugging each other tightly, a wide smile on both their faces.</p><p>Elsewear Raph had disappeared into a side room, enticed by the ajar door. Mikey lazily walked around the lobby, shivering every now and then as the warmth seeped back into his body. He looked up at the high ceiling, mesmerized by the overhead glassware. A large and intricate light hovered above them. The soft hues from the street multiplying through the crystal, causing them to dance on the ceiling behind it. Mikey ogled the sight, his sleep deprived brain causing him to speak before thinking. “Dudes, check out the fancy chandelier. We should get one of these for the lair.”</p><p>Leo quickly hushed him as the echo of his brother’s voice reverberated off the acoustically sound room. Before Mikey could apologize, Raph’s own voice echoed back at them. “The security office looks like it was riffled through. Couldn’t get any of the security systems to turn on though. You’d think they’d have written the passwords down in a drawer or something.”</p><p>“Keep your voices down.” Leo whispered. Both Mikey and Raph returned to Leo, fairly confident that no one else was there. At least, at the moment. “We should head up, see what we can find.”</p><p>Mikey groaned, motioning to the elevators behind them as he became the voice of reason. The arch above the sliding doors went up by 10's, stopping at level 50. “This building has too many floors, we’re never going to find him Leo. We’ll be here all night. And maybe the night after that!”</p><p>“Perhaps we should split up. I don’t really like the idea, but it would save us time.”</p><p>“Boy you really are sleep deprived.” Raph said, jokingly poking at his older brother’s head. “Mikey has a point Leo. It’s too risky for us to wander around this place without knowing where we’re supposed to be looking. Compared to the other places, this one takes the cake.” It felt weird being the voice of reason for once. It’s not as if the other brothers never had good ideas, it’s just that Leonardo made it so they never really had to. “Best case we find Don before he disappears again. Worse case, we all get found. And even worse case, we accidentally ruin whatever plan Donnie Boy’s cooking up by rifling around blindly.”</p><p>Leo stared at the floor for a moment, his fingers tapping on the glass as he rummaged through his sprouting ideas, his brother’s words snuffing out most of them. After a long moment, he nodded. “Let me just call him again. If he doesn't answer, we can wait outside the building and catch him as he leaves.”</p><p>At this point it was the best they were going to get. Not even pizza would be enough to bring back their pep from the beginning of the night. No, only the sweet and complete encapsulating embrace of their respective beds back home would. It would be a lie if both brothers said they weren’t hoping that Leonardo would call it a night. Just a few hours of sleep was all they asked for. They wouldn’t complain though. Neither of them really wanted the burden of calling off the search. </p><p>Ignoring the dejected look on his brother’s faces, Leo pulled out his phone once more. Raph turned, heading towards the door. He knew Don wouldn’t answer. He hadn’t the last hundred times anyway. Raphael stared at the snowflakes as they landed on the glass windows in front of him. It was as if they were frozen mid air as they stuck to the glass, only to melt away moments later. Raph didn’t know which emotion to feel more. The hot bubbling anger at his brother, having built up throughout the day like a tumbling snowball, or the deep seeded worry festering as the night went on. He tried to tuck it down, but the stubborn thought was rooted deep, only kept at bay by the overwhelming sleepiness he suddenly felt.</p><p>Mikey stayed back with his brother, watching silently as Leo’s phone rang. He held his breath, as if the notion itself would cause his brother to pick up. Like mashing a button on the controller as a pokeball rocked. It didn’t do anything, but there was always that chance that it could help in some small way. When Leo brought the phone back in front of him, Mikey let it go.</p><p>Disappointment sat on his shoulders alongside exhaustion. Although Leo had stated he would only call once, he did a second time. Mikey waited patiently as the phone rang once more, but when his brother decided to leave a message instead, Mikey stepped away. The concern in his brother’s voice was too much for him to overhear. He swallowed the lump in his throat, joining Raphael at the window.</p><p>“You think Donnie’s really okay?” Mikey asked his brother softly. Raph had been the one to swear up and down that they all were worrying over nothing, and right now Mikey really needed to hear it again. Instead, his red banded brother took this moment to share his true feelings. A rare moment of vulnerability given to him. </p><p>“Honestly Mike, I don’t know.” Raph continued to stare at the falling snow. His arms were crossed defensively, but his expression was soft. “Don doesn’t take off on his own. Sure he’s had plenty of solo adventures, shell half of them he doesn’t even tell us about, but he always makes sure to tell us when he leaves. And when he can’t...” Mikey searched his tired eyes as he continued. “Well, It’s never good.”</p><p>“Maybe he finally took a page out of your book?” Raphael actually chuckled at that thought. Leo had known one day his bad influence would infect his brothers. There was another beat of silence as the two stared ahead. When Raphael finally did face him, Mikey realized that it was his turn to be the big brother. He placed a gentle hand on his brother’s arm, offering a reassuring smile. “I think out of the four of us, Donatello’s the one turtle we never have to worry about.”</p><p>The two fell silent again as Leo rejoined the group, his head shaking at their knowing looks. “Let’s go, we can keep watch on the door from the alley.” The two followed after as Leo opened the door, the frigid winter cold draining the heat from their bodies in an instant. Mikey shivered, suddenly more awake than he had been all night. As the eldest stepped outside, his phone buzzed. He halted abruptly, causing Raph to collide into him.</p><p>“Jeez, Leo! Warn a turtle before you suddenly stop like that.” Raphael was confused when the leader didn’t reply, instead whipping around with his cell in hand. His eyes were wide, and his voice had a slight emergency to it.</p><p>“It’s Don.”</p><p>As Leo answered the phone, Mikey and Raphael rounded him. They were uncomfortably close to Leo’s face as they struggled to listen for their brother’s voice. But Don didn’t have a chance to speak. As soon as the line connected, Leo immediately bombarded his brother with questions, trying his best not to sound too frantic. “Don we’ve been calling you all night! Why haven’t you picked up? We’ve been worried sick looking for you.”</p><p>Leo heard a click on the other side, followed by what sounded like the hissing of air through gritted teeth. After an agonizing moment, Donatello spoke. “I know, I’m sorry. When I left I didn’t realize my phone was on silent. By the time I did noticed, it had already been so long. What are you guys doing?”</p><p>Leo was stunned, completely thrown off by his brother’s question. “Donnie, you’ve been gone for hours with no word. You weren’t at the junkyard, you weren’t at the docks, your GPS isn’t active, all we got were these cryptic pings on your location.” </p><p>There was a surprised noise on the other side, followed promptly by an answer. “That’s...the new program I was trying out. Kind of like a safety measure for when we’re top side.”</p><p>Leo paced as he walked, focusing intently on the white snow under his feet as he spoke. Raphael and Michelangelo quietly followed him. Mikey motioning for Leo to put Don on speaker as they continued talking. “This isn’t like you Don. We thought something happened.” </p><p>Donatello let out a shaky sigh. “I know Leo, I’m sorry. I guess I’ve just been so caught up in my work.” Don chuckled, “The lack of sleep and food probably isn’t helping my critical thinking either.” There was a moment of heavy silence before he continued. “Where are you?”</p><p>Leo finally let the tension fall from his shoulders, moving to the question they all were desperate to have answered. “We’re in the lobby at Biotech right now. I think it’s time you finally gave us some answers as to what you’ve been doing all night. What floor are you on?”</p><p>Donatello cleared his throat, his voice cracking a bit as he replied. “I’m not there anymore.”</p><p>Raph’s hand flew to his face with a growl. He grabbed at Leo’s phone, who held it in both hands, intently listening to his brother. He tried to not sound completely done with chasing Don around as he spoke, his teeth grinding together. “What do you mean you’re not here, where are you?”</p><p>Suddenly Donnie’s voice picked up speed, changing the subject faster than their sleep fogged brains could process. “I promise Mikey a pizza, didn’t I? First one to the corner of Brighton gets it.” </p><p>“What? No!” Mikey was the first one to react, suddenly very much awake. “That pizza has my name on it!” </p><p>Leo dazily watched his impossibly energetic brother take off in the opposite direction. He jogged after him, the phone still gripped in his hand. For a moment he forgot that Don was still on the line, his voice bringing him back to the present. “Hey Raph?”</p><p>“Yeah?” Raph replied, slightly annoyed. Calling over Leo’s shoulder as he too, jogged after them.</p><p>Donatello’s voice was quiet, regret filling the silence. “No, nevermind. I just…I love you guys.”</p><p>His brothers were slightly taken aback. Perhaps all the worrying they expressed had gotten through to their younger sibling. Leo looked up from the phone, unable to mask the surprise and warmth he felt at his brother’s confession. Raph’s lips pressed into a thin line, pushing the embarrassment of his brother’s affection down. </p><p>“Yeah well I haven’t decided yet if I want to punch you or hug you. Guess we’ll find out when I see you.”</p><p>Donatello chuckled, “Yeah I guess we will.”</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Don filtered through the voicemails. Leo’s voice hummed through the speaker, the slight worry in his tone bringing a strange comfort over Don.</p><p>
  <em> “Hey Donnie, I just got your text. Please call me back when you get this, it’s been a couple hours and we haven’t heard from you.” </em>
</p><p>His brain buzzed as he focused on each voicemail. There were at least five that Don could tell, foggily remembering the amount of notifications throughout the night.</p><p>
  <em> “Don, it’s me again. I’m sure you’re alright, but please just give us a call, or even just a text letting us know everything is okay. We’re starting to get really worried.” </em>
</p><p>Don’s heart hammered in his chest, the pulsing in his ears rivaling his brother’s voices. He had no doubt that the person who was putting him through this was listening to the words that were only meant for him. His overwhelming need for answers overpowered the disgust. He continued to let the messages play.</p><p>As he continued listening, Donatello had a hard time figuring out why this person had wanted him to listen to these messages now. The next message caught him by surprise. This time it was Raphael’s voice, his very <em> very </em>pissed off voice.</p><p>
  <em> “Don, I swear to God, once I see your sorry mug you’re going to wish something bad happened because my fist is going to have words with your face! Leo’s got his panties in a tizzy thanks to you. Which means that we all have to deal with him while you’re out there doing God knows what. The fact that you-” </em>
</p><p>A slew of threats and curses followed after, causing Donnie to quickly hit the skip button. He felt suddenly very afraid of the eventual meeting he would have with his fuming brother. The next message sent his heart into his stomach, having been from the youngest brother. </p><p>
  <em> “Hey bro. Uh, not really sure what’s going on, but if this is your idea of a treasure hunt, I don’t think you’re doing it right. Pretty sure you're supposed to give us clues or riddles for each location, not coordinates. Leo’s making us search the whole building for you and I’m pretty sure if I blink too slowly I’m going to fall asleep standing up. So if you could just call one of us back that’d be awesome.” </em>
</p><p>With each new word his brother said, Donatello’s fears became more realized as it clicked into place. </p><p>They were following him.</p><p>As the last message ended, Don stared at the device in his hand like it was foreign to him. How did they know where he had been? When this had all started, once Don had realized what had happened to him, and what that could mean for his brothers, he had switched his GPS signal off. He couldn’t risk his brother’s finding him, their presence could inadvertently cause his antagonizer to react negatively, regardless of if Don followed his demands. </p><p>This whole time Don was trying to protect his brothers, as selfish as that was. It was too much of a coincidence for them to have simply found clues to follow. No, something else was going on. The person causing this had stated that his brothers were useful. Was he using them in a way like he had Donatello? Or were they simply a tool to keep him in line? But that begged the question of how they had found out his locations. <em> Unless, the attacker had access to my phone. </em>Don hesitantly opened up the trackers, intensely aware of the predicament he might have put his family in. Sure enough three dots moved on the screen, a mere block away. </p><p>The device attached to him was powerful. The vest under his coat was taught against his plasteron. Throughout the night he hadn’t been able to get a good look at it, but from what he had seen, it would be very difficult to remove without activating it. The vest itself left little breathing room, the velcro crudely soldered together, sealing it to him. Wires intricately wove in and around each other, making it almost impossible to follow them back to their respective housing in the front. The front itself was made up of a sealed metal box, the screen attached showing the current time left to complete his objective. A large compression cylinder was bolted to the bottom. Don had quickly identified it as the catalyst, ensuring that even underwater or in an oxygen free environment, the bomb would detonate. That made it all the harder to disarm.</p><p>He thought back to the beginning of the night, back in the shipyard. By that time he had already grabbed the gasket for Raph’s bike. It was a pretty easy find, but actually stepping away from his work to get it was the hard part. In all honesty Don wasn’t sure how long it would have been before he made his way topside if he hadn’t forced Raph’s hand. The docks weren’t exactly on his way home, but getting Mikey that pizza from Tony’s on the east side was a good excuse to swing by. It housed several discarded or repaired marine vehicles, making it a gold mine for Donnie’s new project. His brothers wouldn’t even realize it if he was gone a little longer than he had said. While he was up here, he might as well make it worth his time. Damn his hubris.</p><p>True to Don’s expectations, he was able to find several pieces he needed in the warehouse. He quickly stuffed them into his duffle, as giddy as a child on Halloween. If Don had been sleep deprived before, these pieces would ensure that that trend would continue for the foreseeable future. Part of it was Donatello’s choice, the other was that there was just so much to do. If only he didn’t have to eat or sleep, he could get so much more done. </p><p>Donatello jumped as he heard a metallic rusted screech from above him. Mumbling to himself as he turned back about having had too many shots of espresso. In a less delusional state, Don might have sensed the presence behind him. But his lack of sleep, and intense focus on his task made sure he didn’t. By the time he woke up on the floor of the warehouse, it was much too late. The device was in place, and the demands were set. The timer was running.</p><p>The owner had proven that it wasn’t a simple device. No doubt he could detonate it remotely if Don forgoed doing as they said, ensuring innocent bystanders would get caught in the blast. They never gave Don much time to get to each goal as well, causing him to be unable to get a better look at the bomb and how to disarm it until now. From the glances he was able to get, showed that it was nothing short of expertly crafted. The small encasement on the front was welded, the only openings being the holes on the edges where the wires protruded. </p><p>Don’s best bet was to cut the vest off of him, but the wires wrapped around his body, making that process very time consuming. Hence his current predicament. If he had used all the time he was given at the beginning of a task, it would potentially be enough time to detach himself and get far enough away. But that left the problem of bystanders. New York was densely populated. There was no guarantee Don could pull it off without someone else getting hurt. If Donatello were a stronger turtle, he’d have no qualms about sacrificing the few for the many. With the information that his antagonizer was sending him after, a few casualties were a much better option than the alternative. </p><p>But Don wasn’t. He was gentle. He believed all lives were worth saving. That mentality had put both him and his brother’s in more than one predicament, but he couldn’t change. His final thought was to get as far away from people as fast as he could, becoming a martyr in the process. Ironically Donatello’s morals stopped short when his own life was in question. Perhaps a trait that he had picked up from his own blue banded brother. </p><p>Don mentally kicked himself for not having the forethought to jump off the docks back at the shipyard. The water would have absorbed the intense blast, only resulting in claiming the lives of nearby fish, as well as his own. He wasn’t near any abandoned buildings now, this part of the city was busting with large companies and bougie hotels. Donatello could deduce that the stranger had a tracker inside the device, how else would they know when Don had arrived at the targets? This fact made it near impossible to get away from the populous. As soon as they realized he was moving away from the designated location, they would end it before the timer did.</p><p>His antagonizer didn’t have a name, but considering he knew Donatello, he figured they had at least met once before. There’s no doubt Don had been singled out. Whether it was revenge or something else, he didn’t know. At first he thought it had been Baxter Stockman. The tech he was sent after would have fit his MO; but Stockman would have gladly revealed his identity, revelling in the fact he had gotten the upper hand. For a moment Donatello wondered how he kept being put in these situations. He felt like he was out of options. He felt powerless. He missed his brothers.</p><p>As if sensing the turtle’s thoughts, the voice appeared once more. “Your family will be your downfall.” Donatello swallowed hard, noting the beeping picking back up. Five minutes left. “If I were you, I’d pick up that drive and finish this before your brothers get too close.”</p><p>Don lunged for the drive, reaching the computer once more. He stared at the device in his hand. Something didn’t feel right. His antagonizer had put so much work into this, only for a few patents and research papers? He hated his hand being forced, but he needed more time. He inserted the drive, hating his weakness even more. He watched as the patents opened again, and as they disappeared, Don felt like their energy efficient future did as well. It’s possible that the person’s intentions were to sell the patents himself, but with the large database housed here, he wouldn’t be able to do so without legal repercussions. </p><p>The confusion drained from Don’s face as understanding replaced it. “Oh.” He didn’t just want the patents. He wanted the evidence gone as well. Donatello felt a sick feeling overcome him as he glanced down at his chest. Those precious minutes are all he has left.</p><p>In an instant his choice was made. He lunged to the cabinet he passed by earlier. Inside were several welding tools and chemicals, he didn’t have time to pick the lock, instead breaking open the glass with his bo. He moved the items hastily out of the way, several devices and beakers shattering on the floor at his feet. Donatello grabbed the chemicals he sought, holding a soldering tool in his mouth as he ran out of space in his arms. </p><p>He returned to a desk, ignoring the voice from his phone as he shoved all the equipment onto the floor, setting the beakers down carefully. Don mixed the chemicals into a large dropper as the solder heated up. Don continued to work on the box, sweat dripping from his brow as he steadied his grip on the soder. </p><p>“You were never going to let me leave this building.” He glanced at the computer, the upload was over half way done. He had to hurry. “Once those blueprints make it to your server, you’re going to use me to destroy proprietary evidence that Biotech could take you to court with.” If his predictions were correct, his black mailer wouldn’t detonate the bomb until all the files had been offloaded, that ensured that Donatello had at least five minutes to either disarm the bomb, or die trying. </p><p>He heard a click from his phone as they replied. “Formidable as ever Donatello. This is in fact as far as you go. You won’t be able to disarm the bomb, and you lack sufficient time to escape.” As the timer on the screen fluttered on, he heard the sick drawl of the mechanical voice through the speaker, the sweet venom of his words pulling him away from anything else. “How does it feel knowing you’ll be the reason your family dies?” A violent shiver ran down Donatello’s spine as the light on his chest blinked. The speaker shut off, but the cackle of his laughter still repeated in Don’s ears.</p><p>He felt the front panel finally give, easing the solder down as he grasped it with both hands. Slowly, he pulled the panel back, careful of the heated edges as he set it on the desk. Plan A had always been to disarm the bomb himself, but it was hard to get a good look at the wiring inside, what with the awkward angle Don had to crane his neck at. He took a deep breath as he noticed the different blinking lights. The wires were intertwined around each other, making it next to impossible to follow them to their respective conduits. The main component was attached to the canister, a canister being the oxidizing agent that voided plan B as well. </p><p>Plan B had been to create an airtight chamber in the trial room that he had passed earlier. There he could practically rip the device from himself as long as his breath held. It was perfect for quickly putting out fires in a laboratory setting, but it wouldn’t matter with this in place. </p><p>Plan C had been to slip out of the vest itself, allowing it to detonate. It hadn’t been an option earlier because of the open areas he had been around. It would have been too dangerous. </p><p>If only he had some Liquid hydrogen, helium, or shell, even nitrogen, he could potentially freeze the bomb enough to stop it from activating. But with his options being limited to this room, it was only a wish. He gripped his fists in frustration. There was so many variables, so little time, which plan should he go with?</p><p>If Leo were here he would have figured out a better plan, one that didn’t ensure their demise. He felt so sick of being useless, of being the one to pull his team, his brothers down, why couldn’t he be strong enough to do things himself? </p><p>Then he remembered. His brothers. His brothers were on their way here right now, they might already be in the building. The thought simultaneously brought great relief and horror to him. It’s possible they might be able to help him, but Don wouldn’t have enough time to get a canister from the labs below before the bomb went off. He could call his brothers, tell them which one to bring, and hope that they found it in time. A large beep broke Don from his frantic thoughts. He glanced down in horror at the timer. Two minutes left. No, there wasn’t enough time.</p><p>In a moment all his thoughts drained away, only emptiness being left behind. How could this happen? This isn’t how it was supposed to go. He still has so many projects left, and Raphs bike. He had promised to fix it didn’t he? Don was sick of relying on other people to get him out of situations. This was his mess, he wanted to for once be able to carry himself on his own. If Leo were here he would already have had a plan in motion. No, Don refused to be the reason for his brother's downfall, not again.</p><p>Don took his cell in hand, his face solemn as he made a call.</p><p>Plan C it is.</p><p>Donatello stirred the beaker in his hand, setting it on the desk as he pulled out his phone. He allowed the captivating swirling colors in the beaker to draw his attention as he placed the now ringing phone on the desk, the sharp sound breaking the silence of the room. The concoction melded as it heated up. Very carefully, Don slid a flat metal plate between the velcro and the wiring. With his other hand, he poured the concoction over it. </p><p>The acid melted away the plastic, the disgusting smell of burning rubber and plastic filling his nostrils. His eyes watered as he grimaced, the acid eating through the vest and into his plasteron. He held incredibly still despite the pain growing, the dropulates cascading onto his left thigh. Bright red burns appeared where they made contact. He breathed through his mouth as the pain almost became unbearable. Finally, he felt the vest give. </p><p>Don jolted as a sudden and loud voice filled the room. He thanked his lucky stars he wasn’t holding any of the delicate wiring at that moment, having forgotten about the phone call. Leo’s voice sounded frantic and angry, not a good combination. </p><p>“I know, I’m sorry. When I left I didn’t realize my phone was on silent. By the time I did noticed, it had already been so long.” It felt like he hadn’t heard his brother’s voice in years, it brought Don great comfort. For a moment he had forgotten why he had called. He had to stay calm, if Don acted suspicious, it would ensure their demise. “What are you guys doing?”</p><p>Don half listened to his elder brother berate him, reminding himself that he had to keep working. Grabbing the second beaker, he moved to do the same to his shoulder, hoping to gently remove the device over his head. This proved to be more difficult as the acid could potentially spill onto one of the exposed wires. He grabbed a rag, nestling it where gravity would cause the droplets to fall and began again.</p><p>Don halted as his brother’s words brought his attention back in full. The GPS pings? He hadn’t sent those. That means that his prediction had been right about the bomber. That’s what he meant by his brothers having been his fall back plan. Don closed his eyes, thinking up an excuse that would satisfy Leo’s demand. </p><p>“That’s...the new program I was trying out. Kind of like a safety measure for when we’re top side.”</p><p>He bit back tears as the acid pooled on his shoulder. He couldn’t let himself cry out, Leo would know immediately that Don wasn’t as okay as he advertised. He absentmindedly replied to Leo’s questions, apologizing a few times for good measure. He held the vest up as the shoulder finally gave, and set the empty beaker back on the table. </p><p>There was no more time. </p><p>“Where are you?”</p><p>“We’re in the lobby at Biotech right now.”</p><p>Leo continued talking, but Don’s mind froze in panic. They were so close. Too close. Donatello cursed to himself. They would feel the full brunt of the blast. He absentmindedly replied as he thought of a plan. He needed to get them as far away as possible in the time allotted. But how could he ensure their swift movements? If Don said there was a bomb, that would cause them to bombard him with questions. Questions that he wouldn’t have time to answer. No, he needed something simple, something no one would question. </p><p>Tony’s. Tony’s Pizza. He was supposed to get Mikey one on his way back. “I promised Mikey a pizza, didn’t I?” Don let out a shuddering breath. One more promise he won’t be able to keep. “First one to the corner of Brighton gets it.” Brighton was close enough to keep them interested, but far enough away to get them out of severe harm. The promise of their missing brother, answers, and pizza was too good for the three of them to pass up. Don was sure of it.</p><p>Satisfied after hearing Mikey’s exclamation before running off, Don turned back to the vest. He began slipping it over his head, pushing it and his arms as far into himself as he could. He released as much air from his lungs as he could, allowing just enough wiggle room to ease the device off. As it got to his shoulders, he realized he was still on the line with his brothers.</p><p>He could hear their huffs and the crunching of snow as they made their way towards Brighton. In a moment of weakness he called out to his older brother, aware that he was on speaker. </p><p>“Hey Raph?” If this was potentially the few final moments he had left, he wanted to make sure his brother knew everything. Raphael and Donatello didn’t have as much in common, and Raph tended to tease him about his intellect. Don had figured that it was just Raph’s own insecurities about not being as smart, but Raph never held it against him. In fact Raph praised Don’s prowess whenever he could. It was never empty praise either, it was loud and heartfelt. Encouraging.</p><p>Don had let him down. He knew how badly he wanted to ride around town, and Don had brushed it off for projects that seemed more important at the time. While Don was rummaging around the junkyard it had clicked. One of the activities that Raph and Donnie did together was tinker with the shellcycle. Raph had expressed interest in learning about mechanical science. At first Don had thought it was his impatient self not wanting to wait for Don to get around to simple things like oil changes or tune ups. But when Don really thought about it, Raph never acted like that was the case. </p><p>It seemed so silly now, but Don realized that this was one of the ways Raph could hang out with his younger brother. With Leo, he had practice or their brotherly bickering. With Mikey he had video games and the teasing. With Don, he had working on the bike together and being a supportive big brother. By pushing aside the bike for other things, Don had advertently pushed aside his brother. Raph would never admit it but Don was sure that he had hurt him.</p><p>Don wished he had enough time to express these feelings with his brother, but with less than a minute left, he couldn’t.</p><p>“No, nevermind.” </p><p>He felt a strange peace as he set the vest on the floor. He grabbed his shell cell, cradling it as the warmth he felt overcame him. “I love you guys.”</p><p>Donatello didn’t wait for them to reply as he darted out of the lab. He glanced back just enough to see the upload screen. 98%. He wouldn’t make it to the surface, and fear started creeping up inside him. He gripped the phone harder as Raph’s voice gave him strength, laughing despite the situation at the reply that was oh so Raphael. </p><p>He darted around the corner, just a few meters from his target. Each second ticked by at an aching pace. The expectation was the worst part. You didn’t know when it would happen, just that it would. </p><p>He dived into the elevator, slamming his numb hands on the buttons. It wasn’t practical, but this was his safest location considering the circumstance. It didn’t ensure his survival, but it gave him better odds. Odds he would take. The concrete sublevels would absorb most of the blow. Worst case, it would demolish the building itself and the surrounding ones, burning Don into an unrecognizable ash. Best case, the entire sublevels would hold throughout the blast, only causing some integral damage. </p><p>The elevator hummed to life, moving higher up. He would never make it to the lobby, it was foolish to try. Instead Don had to make sure that he stopped the elevator between floor, the extra padding of concrete potentially protecting the doors from being blasted into him. He shivered as the image of the metal doors crushing his body entered his mind. Determined, he pulled the emergency stop, the elevator halting with a screech. </p><p><em> There’s nothing more I can do. </em> Don repeated those words in his head, trying very hard not to think about the potential bystanders that could get caught in the blast. He prayed to every spirit out there that he would be the only one hurt. Don slid to the floor, his knees huddled under his chin. The throbbing on his left side worked in tandem with his pulse. He closed his eyes, pressing the phone to his forehead as Leo’s voice reappeared. </p><p>“Don, we’re at Brighton, but we don’t see you.” Donatello let out a heavy sigh, even through the phone Leo could see Don’s apologetic and smiling face, his small voice cracking in his ear. </p><p>Don felt the weight of what would happen next overcome him. No doubt Leo would blame himself, Raph would be mad at everyone, even himself, and Mikey would lose some of that spark they all admired. The lump in his throat was tight, causing his voice to crack as tears threatened to fall. </p><p>“I’m sorry.”</p><p>Leo furrowed his brow, wondering the meaning behind the apology. He continued scanning the corner for Don. The area was clearly empty, causing Leo confusion. Before Leo could finish his thought, the three turtles were knocked backwards. Leo’s phone went flying into the alley wall as he collided with the dumpster behind him.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>This has been more or less an experiment with tandem dual POV. I didn't realize how hard it was, especially with figuring out where in the timeline you should break from it. If there's any confusion from hopping back and forth, let me know so I can learn! Hope it was worth the wait.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>This...was supposed to be a short story. Now the last scene will push it over 30k. How...</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Mikey opened his eyes, feeling the sharp frozen snowflakes under his cheek. He felt numb and cold, but his shell felt strangely warm. There was a powerful and intense heat nipping at his back, causing Mikey to swat away his covering, thinking a blanket was overheating him. When it continued to engulf him, he tried to get up. He let out a groan as the stiffness in his neck protested his movements. The ringing in his ears only causing the ache in his head to throb more. He rolled his jaw, suddenly wondering what hit him. Mikey could hear a distorted voice beside him. Someone began swatting at his back, rough and with purpose. </p><p>“Mikey stay down.” </p><p>He turned over, too confused to understand why someone was slapping his shell. As he opened his eyes, he saw Leo’s face. His figure was hovering over him, the dark shadowy image outlined by a brilliant orange light. Mikey tried to raise his head once more, the kink in his neck proving that task difficult. Instead, he wipes the snow from his face, finally making out his brother’s words.</p><p>“Are you okay?” Mikey felt Leo drop down beside him, offering him his hand. He let his brother help him to his feet, his response caught in his throat at the sudden jerk. Mikey coughed violently. Spit had collected in the back of his mouth, threatening to slide down his windpipe. He grasped his face as black stars covered his vision. It was bright outside now. He wondered if he had simply passed out from exhaustion, having missed the sunrise. </p><p>“No, I think I’m okay.” Leo held a tight grip on his brother as he began tipping sideways. Mikey placed a hand over his eyes, his face scrunching as a wave of pain radiated from behind his eyes. “Man, what hit me?” Mikey groaned. He continued to rub his face as the dark spots dissipated. Through his fingers, he could make out the charred holes in his trench coat. “And what the shell happened to my digs?!”</p><p>He heard Raph’s slightly spooked voice behind him, “A whole building is what hit you!” </p><p>He opened his eyes, searching for Raphael. Immediately he wished that he hadn’t. The warmth and orange light in their surroundings were not in fact the rising sun as Michelangelo had previously assumed. Instead, before him stood Biotech, the first several floors lit up in brilliant flame. “Oh shell.”</p><p>Leo appeared to his right, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. “As for your coat, well, some debris may or may not have set you on fire.”</p><p>Mikey comically checked every inch of himself, his voice a few octaves higher as he reacted in a completely normal way for someone having been told they were previously on fire. In panic. Leo put both of his palms up, reassuring his brother that he had in fact put all the flames out. The relief almost sent him back into the snow. “Don’t scare me like that, Leo!” Mikey huffed.</p><p>His brother turned, confusion settling on his features. “Has anyone seen Donnie?”</p><p>Raphael and Michelangelo looked back to Leo, all three almost ashamed that for a moment they had forgotten why they were here in the first place. Leo scrambled to the dumpster, remembering the call with his brother earlier. Raph helped Leo move the dumpster when he started to  reach back blindly for his cell. As he brought it into view, he noticed the screen was shattered, none of the buttons responding. He growled, turning to his brother. “Raph, lend me your cell. I want to make sure Don didn’t get hit by the blast.”</p><p>Without so much as a word, Raph tossed him the phone. Leo tapped at the screen several times. No response. Finally, he held down the power button. The battery flashed on briefly. Dead. The night's stress and lack of sleep finally built up in Leo enough to burst. His head snapped to his brother’s unassuming face. “Raph, your phone is dead! Why didn’t you charge it?”</p><p>Raph clenched his fists. At this point his patience was running thinner than water in a frozen pipe. “I charge it when I go to bed, Leo. Did you see me get any sleep tonight? No! We’ve been out here freezing our shells off, running around blindly all night!”</p><p>Leo rubbed his temples, turning to the youngest. He watched his brother grimace, his hand moving to the back of his head as he casually moved away from Leo and Raph. Getting in the crossfire of two hotheaded, sleep deprived brothers was the last thing he wanted to do. “Mikey, toss me yours.” </p><p>“Here you go bro.” Mikey quickly retrieved his cell, tossing it to Leo as he prayed his still had battery left. At times being on Leo’s bad side was scarier than Raph’s. As Leo dialed their brother’s number, Mikey let out a sigh. He turned back to Biotech. The flames were starting to die down in some parts. After a moment he heard Leo call to him. He turns, catching the cell in surprise. </p><p>“He didn’t answer.” The three brothers look to each other for a moment, unsure what they should do next. “It’s possible he could be unconscious. Or maybe his cell suffered the same fate as mine.” Leo picks up on his brother’s uncertain faces, “Either way, there’s no reason to worry yet. Let’s split up and search the nearby streets.” Both Leo and Mikey move to search the streets, but as they reach the end of the alley, they hear their brother’s voice. </p><p>“What did Donnie mean when he said ‘I’m sorry?’” Both turn back, seeing that Raphael hadn’t moved from his spot. He was staring at the snow, his arms crossed. Leo’s eyes were wide, having forgotten much of their earlier conversation. “You don’t…” Raph turned to his brothers, a sickening thought rooted in his mind. “You guys don’t think this was Don’s doing, do you?” Raph’s forehead furrowed in thought as he eyed his brother’s for answers.</p><p>Leo was taken a little aback. “Why would Don blow up a research center?” He had no reason to believe they were connected, but it would be foolish to not at least consider it. </p><p>“I don’t know, Leo.” Raph replied defensively. “Why would Don sneak around all night and break into at least three other research centers? And why would the last one end up blowing sky high right after?”</p><p>Leo sighed, clearly frustrated. “We don’t have enough information to just assume Don would blow up a building. He wouldn’t intentionally cause this kind of damage. There might have been workers in there. You know how much Donnie admonishes taking a life.”</p><p>Mikey frowned, something wasn’t right. Why did it feel like they were missing something important? It felt like the answer was staring him in the face. He turned back to the building, tuning out his brother’s voices as he began to think.</p><p>“This is stupid!” Raphael’s yell ascended with the smoke. “I’m getting real sick of having all these questions and no answers! Let’s just find our damn brother and ask him! He’ll explain all this, one way or another.” </p><p>Leo shook his head, noting the emphasis of his brother’s words as he smacked his fists together. “Yes Raph, we know. Let’s just start searching before people start gathering. The last thing we need is for Don to show up on Channel 5 news.”</p><p>Surprisingly, Raph felt himself chuckle at the thought. “Can you imagine what Splinter’s face would look like as he sipped his morning tea, turning on the morning news only to see Don in the background? Man we’d be grounded until we were dead.”</p><p>“A bomb.” Both Raphael and Leo look to Michelangelo, who was still staring ahead at the building in front of them. For a moment they simply looked at their brother, his shell to them, as they waited for him to elaborate. He doesn’t, instead whipping around frantically to his brothers as he repeated his words. “It was a bomb!” </p><p>Raphael glanced at Leo before turning back to Mikey, “Uh, Mikey are you sure you didn’t hit your head in the shockwave? We already covered this like five minutes ago.”</p><p>Leo ignored his brother, turning fully to a currently upset Mikey. “Mikey calm down, it’s alright.” He placed a hand on his shoulder, his voice returning to its softer soothing tone. “I’m sure he’s fine. Don probably just got knocked out by the shockwave. Let’s split up and search for him.”</p><p>Leo fights an involuntary flinch as Mikey yells in frustration. “It was a bomb, Leo!” Mikey shoved Leo’s hands off him, wanting to be taken seriously. “Don’t you understand?”</p><p>Raphael finally steps up, crossing his arms as he challenges his delusional sibling. “No, Mikey we don’t understand. Can you just spit it out already?”</p><p>Mikey huffed as he tried to explain to his brothers, clearly bothered that they didn’t share his sense of urgency. “The vest, we all saw it! It was a bomb, I’m sure of it!”</p><p>Leo cocked his head, “Mikey, what vest?”</p><p>“I’m too tired for this. Mikey, if you don’t start making sense, that explosion ain’t gonna be the only thing to knock you out.”</p><p>Mikey shook his head, his face in panic. “The video feed, back at the other research center. We saw Donnie in the recordings, the one you deleted.” He continued, urging Leo to recall. Leo nodded his head slowly, still not sure where Mikey was supposed to be going with this. Mikey stumbled over his words, spilling them out as fast as his tongue would allow. “I saw something under Donnie’s coat, remember? I didn’t recognize it at first but now I’m sure of it. Leo it was a bomb!”</p><p>Now, as the realization set in on the other two turtles, a cold icy fear rose inside them. The color drained from Leo's face as it clicked. Slowly, they both turned back to the building. This building, where they had been moments before. This building, where their brother had previously been. This building, where a bomb had just gone off. Potentially the very same bomb that had been strapped to Donatello earlier in the night. No one spoke. Their minds simply trying to process the newfound emotion and heavy weight setting in their hearts. One that sent them pleading to every cosmic being out there that Mikey had been mistaken. </p><p>“You’re wrong.” Raphael took a few steps back, not wanting to believe what their brother had revealed. “He just called us a moment ago. He wasn’t even in the building.” He told himself this was some kind of joke, that Don would pop up behind them with a simple ‘<em> hey </em> ’, his lighthearted greeting jostling them from this nightmare. But it didn’t. Instead Raphael thought back to their last conversation, what his brother had said, how he had sounded. “He just said he had picked up a pizza. He would have <em> told </em>us he needed our help!”</p><p>“Unless…” They turned to Leo. His hand was over his mouth, trying desperately to keep it from trembling. He swallowed. He didn’t want to release the words stuck in his throat. They held a heavy weight, a weight that would immediately affect his brothers. But it needed to be said. They had to consider it. Don’s behavior before the explosion was odd, and the suggestion in his mind made too much sense now not to share. He turned to his brothers, his eyes wide, yet holding extreme sorrow. “Unless he knew he wasn’t going to make it.” </p><p>Mikey opened his mouth in protest, a small squeak escaping as he stopped himself. He turned to Raph, his eyes pleading for him to call Leo out. To tell him that Leo was just talking crazy. Instead, Raph’s eyes were glued to the leader, his head shaking in protest. The movement was so small, so uncharacteristically Rapahel, that it only made the finality of Leo’s words sink in further.</p><p>Leo tried to ignore his brother’s heartbreaking expressions, leading them farther into the hole he had dug. Without anything else to go on, this was the most likely case. And now Leonardo needed to steel himself. His brothers needed to come to terms before they could act. ”What were we doing just before Don called?”</p><p>Mikey stuttered, “We were talking about the connection between the different places, and why Don would go there?”</p><p>Leo shook his head, opening his mouth to speak.</p><p>“No.” This time it was Raph who spoke. His voice was low and unwavering. They turned to Raph, who was staring so ferociously at a patch of snow it could have melted. Mikey noticed his brother’s clenched fists. They curled with such force that they shook. “We were on our way inside.”</p><p>A loud noise jolted them from their reprieve. They watched on in horror as Biotech’s third floor collapsed in on itself, the effect dominoing into the second and first floors. Smoke and bright flames engulfed the block as the motion effectively snuffed out most of the fire. The brothers instinctively turned away, shielding their faces from the hot wreckage raining on them.</p><p>Both Mikey and Raphael call out to the building, the screams grated and pleading. It was some sick twist of fate they felt, as if intentionally snuffing out the last bit of hope they had. Their feet moved before they could rationalize the action. Leo called after them, managing to snatch Mikey’s arm before he scrambled out of reach. Leo tried to call after Raphael, but his brother didn’t hear him, or chose not to as he sprinted headfirst into the dilapidated building.</p><p>Mikey continued to struggle in Leo’s grip. His voice was hoarse, tears threatening to fall from his eyes. “Let me go Leo! Donnie’s still in there, we gotta save him!”</p><p>Leo fought to keep a grip as Mikey continued to twist desperately in his hands. “Mikey, I know! But we can’t just run in there blindly. All three of us could end up dead if the building collapses any more!” Leo turned his little brother around. His voice was stoic, firm, but his eyes betrayed him. “Mikey we need to stay calm. If Don’s still in there, still alive, he’s going to need us level headed to save him.”</p><p>Mikey took in a shuddering breath, nodding his head as he tried to calm himself. Leo slowly let go of Mikey’s arms, not quite certain his brother wouldn’t try to take off again. When Mikey stayed put, Leo took off to the building. “Stay here, I’ll go get Raph. Then we can look for a safe route inside.”</p><p>Mikey nodded after his brother, watching as Leo caught up to Raph. He had been trying to find an opening in the refuse, his curses and grunts carrying across the cold. Raphael moved a large chunk out of the way, only to be met with flames licking at his side. He absentmindedly heard Leonardo tell him that it’s too dangerous, only for Raphael’s determination and rage to turn to his brother. He watched them argue for a moment, before he started to feel an emptiness take over him. The long night and emotional strain of the last few hours left him feeling exhausted and numb. If the thought of his brother burning alive wasn’t attached to the sight, the mesmerizing flames would have been pleasant to watch as they danced in front of him. Mikey hadn’t realized his phone had been ringing until it was at his ear, answering it in a daze.</p><p>“Hello?”</p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>It took Donatello several seconds to realize where he was. He couldn’t make out any of his surroundings, it was completely dark. For a moment he thought he simply had fallen asleep in his lab again. Having slipped onto the cold concrete floor in a delirious sleep deprived haze, too tired to drag himself to his actual bed. But the pain radiating from his side quickly corrected that train of thought. He tried to move, only to realize that he couldn’t. Something pressed against him. Something that rivaled his attention from the burns he suffered earlier. His whole body throbbed, begging its host to stay still. </p><p>The more awake Donatello was, the harder it became to breathe. He noticed an intense heat surrounding him. His eyes teared up as the smoke irritated them. He heard something crash above him, adding to the weight threatening to flatten him. He gasped, coughing the dust particles out of his burning lungs. He was going to either suffocate or be baked alive at this point. He tried to move again, this time to slide out from under the metal. The burns on his shoulder and thigh were a constant and somehow comforting reminder that his limbs haven’t been crushed or severed in the fall.</p><p>He managed to wiggle out enough to get his left arm free, grasping around at the weight above him. He was on his stomach, and he felt something uncomfortably squared away at his torso. A cold realization crept through his foggy mind, stopping his movements immediately. <em> I can’t feel my right arm. </em>His right hand was almost as important as his intellect. Without it he wouldn’t be able to tinker and build with the accuracy and steadiness he was accustomed to. Training his left hand to be on the same level of expertise from a lifetime of use was impossible. Not to mention he would no longer be able to wield a bo with just his left. </p><p>Donatello felt a wave of nausea threaten to heave its way up his throat. His left hand began to shake. He squeezed his eyes shut, spitting out the saliva pooling in his mouth. Don took a deep breath through his nose, exhaling through his mouth in an attempt to calm his nerves. <em> I have to stay calm. I can’t throw up, if I do, I could choke on it. </em> Donatello bit down on his tongue, forcing those thoughts from his overactive mind. He wouldn’t think like that, not until he saw the damage for himself. </p><p>He needed a plan. Don took a few seconds to build up energy, shoving his body up as hard as he could in an attempt to dislodge himself. His limbs shook with the effort. He strained so hard that by the time he collapsed, he saw stars. In response, the elevator waned, a metallic creak echoing into the chamber as one of the support beams slid off of the pile covering Don. He watched it tumble in front of him, the motion shaking the elevator. The movement must have jostled the electrical wiring because for a few split seconds, the emergency lights flickered on. They were gone as soon as they appeared, but a few seconds were all Donatello needed to spot his forgotten shellcell. </p><p>After taking a few moments to gather his strength once more, Don moved to grab it. It was just barely out of reach. He was starting to sweat, both from the energy he was exerting and the heat surrounding him. Now that Donatello had aggravated his wounds, the pain was all he could think about. He groaned at the strain, his shoulder protesting. He felt his fingers brush against the device, teasing him. <em>Just a little farther.</em> <em>Come on! </em></p><p>He finally managed to push his body that extra inch necessary to roll the phone back towards him, close enough to properly grasp. As he did, he felt a pop in his body, followed by white hot pain. He gasped, another wave of nausea overcoming him as his head spun. His muscles contracted painfully, and Don wondered if he pulled something. He felt the cold metal against his face as he clenched his teeth. After a long moment Donatello lifted his head. He wondered why his eyes were closed, but he realized they were in fact open and that the elevator was just pitch black. He felt fuzzy as he struggled to remember what he was doing. His mouth was so dry, he couldn't help but cough. The motion rocked through his body, causing him to recall the crushing weight on top of him.  </p><p>His fingers twitched around the object in his hand, and Don recognized it as his cell. Instantly he realized what he was doing before, figuring that he must have passed out earlier while trying to reach it. He turned the screen towards his face, pressing at the buttons as he prayed that it still worked. A sudden bright and blinding white light filled his vision, causing his retinas to contract painfully at the sudden change. He squinted away from it, unable to keep a gasp of joy from escaping his throat.</p><p>Don clicked on his brother’s number, holding the phone as close to his ear as his arm can manage. The strange angle he’s currently pinned at makes it awkward but manageable. The longer he stayed trapped, the more Donatello could feel his calmness slowly petering out. His resolve over the years from being in life-threatening situations only came to pass due to the strength his family offered. And right now he needed to hear the calm and comforting voice of Leo more than anything. But Donatello never got that chance. Instead, the line never went through, instantly going to voicemail. In a panic Don brought up the GPS signal for him, only to find that it was offline. “It’s okay Don,” he reassured himself, “just because his phone is dead, doesn’t mean that he is. No need to think the worst yet.”</p><p>Ignoring the budding anxiety in his chest, Don moved to Raphael’s number, only for the same problem to arise. His GPS was nowhere to be found, and Don no longer could keep his rising alarm at bay. One brother not answering was fine, but two? That was never a good sign. Was it possible that Don’s plan hadn’t worked? Did his brother’s not leave like he had encouraged them to? Or was his calculations of the blast radius wrong? Don felt himself paling at the thought. Images of his brother’s bodies lying burned, crushed, and bleeding on the surface filled his mind before he was able to stop them.</p><p>With a shaky breath, Don finally moved to Mikey’s number. For a moment he hesitated. Don was so very afraid of Mikey not answering. Mikey was his last shot. If he didn’t answer, that meant his worst fears were real. He wasn’t fast enough, wasn’t clever enough. His family hadn’t gotten out of the way in time. And if they were dead, that meant Don was alone. He was alone down here, trapped. Would he suffocate or die of dehydration first? How long would it take? Hours? Days? A week? </p><p>He shuddered.</p><p>He should have stayed with the bomb.</p><p>His motion was slow, his finger missing the button on screen a few times. He heard the humming ring of his device attempting to communicate. Donatello shut his eyes, praying to every spirit out there that just this once, let something good happen. Just this once, let them be alright. After everything they had been through, surely they deserved that. Right?</p><p>“Hello?”</p><p>Don’s eyes shot open, balking at the phone in his hand. The line was connected. It hadn’t gone to voicemail. That was Mikey’s real voice he had heard. Mikey had to repeat the greeting again before Don realized he hadn’t yet responded. He swallowed hard, stuttering out a reply that only ended in a jumbled mess of incoherent syllables. </p><p>“Donnie?!” Mikey’s voice was shrill in his ears. Even when he couldn’t communicate, Mikey could pick out the voice of his brother. Before Don had a chance to form proper words, he hears muffled voices in the distance, followed by deafening movements over the speaker. Mikey yelled as both Leo and Raphael’s voices overlapped each other, calling out for their brother. Don could feel a few tears pooling in his eyes as his heart fluttered in joy. The feeling was so strong that it managed to block out the pain shooting through his body for a few blissful moments.</p><p>“Donnie? Don where are you? Are you okay?”</p><p>He was overjoyed that all his brother’s were alive, that the adrenaline he had felt earlier starts to seep away. His head felt too heavy to hold up, so he allowed it to drop back to the floor. “I’m here.” His voice was soft, but in the tight confined metal area it reverberated loudly, a lonesome echo in the chamber. He told his mouth to form the words, but they came out disconnected. “I’m in...In the shaft. Underneath.”</p><p>Leo’s voice sounded calmer than it had been, slowly asking Don for more details. “Don, you’re not making any sense. You’re underneath what, the rubble?” Raphael and Michelangelo exchange panicked looks. The building in front of them was a hellscape of danger. If Donnie was in there, he wasn’t going to survive another collapse. </p><p>The voices of his brothers came and went in waves, and Don struggled to make out anything they said. His arm felt like jelly, it was so hard to focus. He tried to tell them where he was but he couldn’t keep his eyelids up. He tried to mumble out a word, ‘elevator’. But it came out broken and quiet.</p><p>“Elevator?” Leo could hear the bated breaths of his brother. They were shallow and worryingly audible. They were so close to him, practically standing right in front of him, and yet frustratingly far. “Don, <em> please </em>. Give us something more to go off of. Tell us exactly where you are.”</p><p>The weight piled on Don felt like it was sucking all the oxygen out of him. He couldn’t get a deep enough breath. He was too tired to form any more words. In a final coherent moment, Donatello thought to turn his GPS back on. </p><p>“Don?” Leo felt the anxiety inside him return as soon as his brother stopped responding. “Don!” Michelangelo, Raphael, and Leonardo all stared at the phone with bated breath. They could hear the occasional creaking of metal, but nothing else. Soon a chime rang out as a notification appeared on Leo’s screen. Don’s GPS just went back online. </p><p>In an instant Leo their brother was gone, replaced with the collected persona of their leader in blue. Donatello’s signal was coming from inside the lobby, and Leo ushered level-headed orders as he focused on a plan to get them safely inside the unstable building. Carefully, the three turtles entered the once pristine lobby, having found a shallow enclosure that allowed them passage inside. </p><p>It was surreal seeing the sudden change first hand. The white tiles and flooring were covered in a thick layer of debris, most of the area containing fallout from the floors above. There were black scorch marks scattered on all sides, a stark contrast to the white aesthetic. Mikey’s thoughts betrayed him as he stared at the fallen chandelier, a split second thought appearing in his mind, wondering if he could convince the others to help him carry it back to the lair. They stopped in front of the elevator, Leo still staring at the dot on his phone.</p><p>“Leo, why are we stopping?” Raph asked, trying to peer at the screen in his brother’s hands. There, right in front of them, blinked their brother’s signal.</p><p>“He must be inside.”</p><p>Mikey looked between the two elevator doors. “Yeah, but which one? Don didn’t exactly say ‘left or right’.”</p><p>The signal leaned further to the left, but if his brother was in as bad a shape as his voice had sounded, then Leo didn’t want to take any chances. “Raph, you’ll go down the right shaft. I’ll go down the left.” He turned to Mikey, who suddenly felt apprehensive at traveling down a pitch black metal chute in a compromised building. That, and the fact that they’d be repelling down on rope. Extremely flammable rope. “Mikey I want you to stay here and spot us. Since neither of you have shellcells at the moment, I want you to be our ears and voices.” Mikey nodded, sighing in relief as Leo turned back to Raph. “If either of us find anything, we’ll relay it to Mikey.”</p><p>After both metal doors had been pried open, the two brothers wound rope around their shells. They tied the other end to a sturdy metal bar near the opening, securing their hold. With a final nod to Mikey, they repelled into the darkness. He could hear the pittering footfalls bouncing farther down the walls. Mikey quickly moved to watch them go, seeing the forms of his brothers slowly receding into a rough outline below.</p><p>Mikey turned to survey the building. Part of the fallen flooring gave out, sending another wave of hazardous dust his way. He wiped the sweat from his forehead. The heat from the remaining flames was sweltering. It felt like they were eating up all the oxygen in the room. He barely recognized it anymore. It vaguely reminded him of some of the collapsed tunnels in the sewer. They used to sneak out and shimmy their way through. It was a game of sorts, see who could get through the blockade-like maze the fastest. It was a wonder how some of the collapsed concrete didn’t crush them in their innocence. </p><p>He tapped his fingers against the metal frame, it had only been a minute, but Mikey was already starting to get antsy. He moved to Raph’s side, yelling down to him. “You find anything yet?”</p><p>He heard the grumbled response of his brother echo back up to him. Moving back to Leo’s side, he repeated the process. Leo was gracefully hopping down into the shaft, at least two floors down when he heard his brother's voice call down to him. He looked up, seeing the small form of Mikey’s head peering down at him. </p><p>“Everything alright up there?”</p><p>“Yeah,” Mikey echoed back, “just checking in.” He looked back over his shoulder briefly before adding, “Hey bro, no pressure or anything, but you should probably hurry before this place gives. Becoming a turtle pancake isn’t exactly on my bucket list.”</p><p>“Duly noted Mikey.” Leo continued his pace, stopping as his foot connected with a metal shelf. He looked down to make out the remnants of what could only be an elevator. It was still too dark to make out every detail, but the light filtering in from the open doors above was enough for Leo to see a safe spot to land.</p><p>The metal was hot to the touch, causing Leo to keep quick on his feet as he danced around the steel mess. The elevator waned at his added weight and he could hear the creaking above from the metal cords expanding in the heat. He could see now that the top of the elevator was impaled by the debris from the above floors, collapsing the protective metal roofing. As his feet planted firmly inside the elevator, he called out for his brother.</p><p>The small area was a mess of tangled wires, metal beams and sheets. Part of him silently hoped that his brother wasn’t buried underneath it, imagining the potential damage it would have resulted in. He hoisted a large metal chunk off of the pile, letting it fall away to his side. The motion kicked up dust and caused the elevator to jiggle in its reigns. As he goes to move another, he catches a flash of green. He knelt down, moving away more of the collapsed flooring in an attempt to find that hue again. </p><p>There, in front of him lay a limp and outstretched hand. Leo moves, his arms a flurry of action as he begins digging the rubble away from his brother. “Don!” There are a few larger support pieces piled on his brother. He can see them pinning Donatello to his shell. Leo’s heart leaped at every new inch of his brother that is revealed to him. One of the beams sat snug between his brother’s neck and shoulder, too close to his carotid artery to bring him any comfort. He tries to slide another one of them off. The heavy beam slips from his grasp, tumbling to the floor with a loud clatter. Leo instinctively recoils his foot away, his toes almost getting smashed in the process. The shift is violent enough to cause the elevator to pitch once more, making one of the pillars Leo moved earlier fall back towards them. </p><p>Leo braces his hands on the wall as the beam knocks into his shell. He’s forced to his knee, hovering over his brother’s still form. He attempts to move it off, but stops. The curve of his shell would cause the beam to roll off him, colliding with the pile currently crushing Don. He tries to carefully balance the beam with his back as he begins to stand, but the awkward angle doesn’t allow him enough leverage to safely do so. He can’t maneuver himself to safely move the beam, it was too heavy to move with just one hand.</p><p>Realizing he is at an impasse, he calls for his brother. Mikey’s name echoes through the metal hall, the eerie reverberation disturbing the dust inside. Leo can hear his brother call down to them, his head no doubt poking warily into the shaft. “Did you find him? Is he okay?”</p><p>Leo grunts as he keeps his balance. “Yes, but he’s stuck. I need you to climb down and help me lift these beams off.” Leo tries to crane his head up towards the light, but is unable to see in his current position. Suddenly he hears an outcry, followed by a violent shake in the walls. He hears Mikey’s feet bounce off of them, making his way down. The speed at which Mikey descends is dangerous, and for a moment Leo fears he’ll drop right on top of them if he doesn’t slow down. </p><p>“Mikey be careful, the elevator isn’t stable!” He braces himself against the beam as he feels Mikey land in the elevator, the sudden weight causing the elevator to pitch once more. At this point the holding capacity in the elevator has more than exceeded, making one of the metal cords holding it in place to snap. The elevator lurches, prompting lighter debris to rain down on them. Mikey hurdles to the corner, dodging the refuse and thick metal cord as it snakes around them, smacking into the walls violently. Leo can feel the thick cord swipe against the beam on his back, the added force is enough to cause his knee to buckle. His beak connects with the mess underneath him, his sensitive snout recoiling at the smack.</p><p>He bites off a groan, his legs now shaking with the effort. Suddenly he feels the weight lift off his back, and drops down. He turns to see Mikey attempting to stand the beam up in the corner. Leo helps him stabilize it before turning back to Donatello. He feels the apprehension from behind him, knowing what question Mikey will ask. As he does, Leo moves to check Don’s pulse. “Is he…?”</p><p>Leo can’t get a good position on his brother’s artery, but the pulse point on his wrist is too shallow for him to catch. “I don’t know. Help me move these off of him.” The two continue to uncover their brother, the effort much easier now that there are two of them. They can see the top half of their brother now, an ashen layer of white dust covering his scales. As they attempt to move a rather large beam wedged between, Don’s hand twitches. The action does not go unnoticed, and at once, Leo is at his side. “Don? Donnie can you hear me?”</p><p>He watches his brother’s eyes flutter as he gasps. An action that was instantly regrettable as more dust than oxygen fills his throat. He coughs violently, resulting in a pained groan. Leo places a hand on his brother’s head, the action soft, drawing Don’s eyes to him. “Don, I’m so glad to see you. Just take it easy, we’re going to get you out. Stay still.” Leo moves to resume helping Mikey uncover their brother, when a voice stops him. Donnie’s tone is so small it makes Leo’s heart ache. </p><p>Don can see two dark figures moving in front of him. It’s too dark, his eyes too unfocused to make out their form. But the voice is undeniable, and for a moment, Don chooses to believe the small hope that he hadn’t dreamed up that phone conversation. That he had successfully saved his brothers, and that now they were saving him. “Leo?” For a moment the figure looks at him before turning to move out of his sight. In a panic, Don stretches out his hand, begging the vision of his brother not to leave.</p><p>Leonardo misses this motion, his focus turned to Mikey as he continued hastily digging up his sibling. “Mikey, go get Raph. We’ll need both of you to help hoist me and Donnie back up.” Mikey hesitates for a moment, not comfortable with leaving them. He takes a deep breath, knowing that in this situation Leo is usually right. This was one of those moments, Leo would say, where he needed to listen to his head, not his heart. </p><p>Mikey leaned in close to Don, grasping his hand as he reassured his brother. “Don’t worry bro, I’m gonna go get Raph, then we’ll get you out of this. Just hold on. I promise once we’re back at the lair, I won’t ask you to build me anything for like a week!” Mikey let go of Don’s hand as he turned to adjust his rope. </p><p>His brother’s voices brought clarity to the pinned turtle, allowing him to awaken from his daze. “Mikey?” He looked up at the orange turtle, who began climbing outside his view. </p><p>Suddenly Leo is in his vision again, his furrowed brow hidden under his blue mask. “Don, can you tell me what happened? What do you remember?”</p><p>“I…” Don closed his eyes, forcing his brain to recall the events that previously transpired. “There was a bomb, a vest. I couldn’t disarm it.” Leo and Mikey exchanged glances as Donatello continued. “He made me collect data, this was supposed to be the last stop. But...he never was planning to let me go. I didn’t have enough time. You guys almost got caught up in the blast. I’m sorry Leo. I should have refused the moment I woke up. If I did, none of this would have happened. He wouldn’t have the blueprints, and no one would have been hurt!”</p><p>“But you’d be dead!” Mikey’s voice echoed with authority through the shaft. Leo moved so that Don could peer up at the smaller form positioned on the wall. “You’d be dead Don, and we would never know!” Leo is shocked at the seriousness overtaking his brother. At Don’s confession, he half expected his brother to yell a dignified ‘I told you so’. Instead, his expression simply held sad acceptance. Mikey wished for once he hadn’t been right. </p><p>They watched as Mikey left without another word, continuing his climb in dark silence. He swallowed the lump in his throat. There would be time to cry later, when Donnie is free and they’re all out of danger. Donnie had a lot of making up to do, and no doubt Mikey would play the guilt card for all it’s worth. Donnie was going to spend every waking moment with him when they got back, Mikey would make sure of it. Projects be damned, he just wanted his brother.</p><p>Mikey’s simmering thoughts stopped as he heard a creaking from below. He glanced back down, stopping his ascent to listen. </p><p>“Leo, I...I can’t feel my arm. Can you see anything?”</p><p>Leo tried to peer through the few beams still securing his brother. “It looks like both your legs are still pinned from what I can see.” He pulls at one of the metal bars snug against his brother’s shell. The movement scraped against Don’s shell, causing him to hiss in reaction. “Don, I can’t see your right arm.” Leo continued to pull and push against the beams on his brother’s back. Donatello grit his teeth as he felt the metal scrape against his shell. </p><p>With a final shove, Don felt an intense weight lift off him. He rolled off his shoulder, desperately trying to catch the image of his missing limb. He swallowed, watching the movement of his arm flop uselessly into view. There was no pain, and no visible damage. But it was completely numb, his muscles unresponsive. He heard Leo’s concerned voice behind him. “Is your arm broken?”</p><p>Donnie huffed a loud sigh, flopping his head to the ground as he recognized what had transpired. The intense pins and needles shooting through his arm granted him more relief than they should have. “No, no. Laying on it must have blocked the blood flow.” He chucked to himself, “It just fell asleep.”</p><p>Leo allowed some of the tension to leave him as he went to lift his brother under the arms. He pulled, hoping to slide Don out the rest of the way. The attempt jostled a beam loose, drawing a long shrill creak from the elevator. They both felt the elevator slip some, making another beam shift. Don’s voice was rising, urging Leo on. “Leo, we have to hurry, I don’t know how much longer the integralness of the elevator will hold.”</p><p>Leo pulled with all his might, the force making Don quickly realize that this wasn’t going to work. There was a white hot pain in his shoulder, and Don felt himself being ripped from both ends. “Leo stop! Stop!” He does so, gently releasing his brother back to the ground. Don took deep breaths as Leo quickly asked what’s wrong. Don ground his teeth, his body shaking all over. “My leg is pinned, you’re going to rip from my body at this rate.”</p><p>Leo scanned over the divots in the pile, looking for a good opening where he could leverage the weight off him. Leo hastily looked over Donnie’s body, taking in what damage he could see. His shoulder had a nasty burn, and part of his shell was caved in. He decided to go for the beam digging into his brother’s shoulder. As he shifted it, Don grunted in pain. The beam was pushing part of the shell into Don’s back. As he slid it away from the wound, blood started to run down Don’s neck. “I’m sorry, just hold on a little longer.”</p><p>Donnie sighed as the weight was removed from him. He started to lift himself up, to shimmy his way out, when Leo yelled at him to stop. Don glanced up to see Leo’s eyes wide, staring underneath him. He looked down to notice a dark substance inching its way towards them. </p><p>“Don, you’re bleeding.”</p><p>Don laid back down, his eyes opening slowly at Leo’s tone. “The...movement must have knocked whatever was blocking the wound off. Can you see where it’s coming from?”</p><p>“There’s a wound on your shell, but I don’t think it’s bleeding this much. It could be from your leg. We have to get you out and stop the bleeding.”</p><p>Don moved to raise his head, agreeing. “Sounds good.”</p><p>Leo grabbed one of the smaller rods, wedging it into the hole between his brother and the support beams. He gripped it with both hands, leveraging himself against the weight crushing his brother’s lower half. The movement prompted another wailing sound from the elevator as he began to lift it off. Leo grunted, trying to maneuver the beam off his brother’s legs. “Don, do you think you can crawl out?”</p><p>Before Don can respond, the elevator wanes again, the sudden tilt causing Leo to lose balance as the beam slipped onto Donnie’s shell. His brother smacked to the floor with a yelp. Leo stuck his hand out to brace himself, his arm catching on one of the metal pieces jutting out. With a hiss, he clutched the long wound on his arm. They could feel the unstable box threatening to give, both feeling a renewed sense of urgency. </p><p>“Leo, you need to get out! It’s going to drop any second!” Leo’s head swiveled to his brother, mouth open and ready to protest. However Donnie beat him to it, adding quickly. “I’ll be fine. Since I’m pinned, my body won't ricochet; but with you free standing, you could be impaled by the metal in the fall.” </p><p>Leo ignored his brother’s reasoning, placing the rod back in between the beams. “Donnie I’m not leaving you. I just need a couple more seconds to lift this beam.” </p><p>Don looked between Leo and the large cable holding them up. He had no idea if Leo would make it in time, but he’d rather not take the chance. “Leo, please go. The fall could knock the remaining beams loose. I’ll be fine, I promise!”</p><p>“Stop lying!” Leo’s tone caused Don to flinch, there was too much emotion behind his words, too much to unpack in the short time they had. “Why do you always do this? You’re always so stubborn, so bent on doing things yourself. Why can’t you just let us help you?” Leo couldn’t take it any longer. He couldn’t take his brother’s lies any more. He couldn’t leave him. Not again. “Why didn’t you tell us? Why didn’t you let us help you? Why didn’t you let <em> me </em>help you?”</p><p>Leo’s words distracted the turtle enough to cower at the onslaught of confusing emotions. “I...I didn’t want you guys to be in danger. I didn’t want you to get hurt because of me. I could figure this out on my own, without putting you guys in harm's way.” In Donatello’s mind, there was nothing in the world that was worse. His own alternate timeline assured him of that.</p><p>“Don, that’s not your call!” Donatello flinched at his brother’s words. So sharp and final. “That’s our decision! Every time one of us needs help, we decide for ourselves. And everytime the answer is the same. We’d do anything for each other, that includes facing against dangerous and impossible odds.” His voice threatened to break from commanding to pleading with his final statement. “But we get through it because we’re a team, because we rely on each other, because we’re brothers!”</p><p>Don was dumb struck. He had no quips, no clever rebuttals, his brother was right. He had been selfish, he had made his brothers worried sick, and now he was doing it again. Leonardo’s voice became quiet, his brother’s vulnerable side peaking through the leader’s rigid persona. </p><p>“Please don’t close us off Don. Don’t leave us behind.” Leo briefly reminisced about the time they were scattered across dimensions, remembering how his brother had changed after the event. He spent so long closing himself off, not wanting to share what had transpired with his brothers. It had only proven that it had affected him deeply. His brothers were always open with each other, even if Leo himself struggled in the past. But after that event, Don sequestered his heart from his family.</p><p>“Don’t go off on your own. Don’t be…” Leo finally met his brother’s eyes, the soft knowing expression tied to the guilt of his past actions. “Don’t be like me.” Leo swallowed, regaining some of his composure. “You all get after me for taking on the responsibility of things we can’t control. I know at times I take on the impossible, hoping to unburden you all, but I’ve been trying. Don, I’ve been trying so hard. So please, don’t follow in my steps. I can’t take it. We’re a team, Don. We’re brothers. No matter what we do, we do together.”</p><p>Don was speechless, his mouth agape as he stared at his brother. “Leo...I’m so sorry. I had no idea you...that I…” He swallowed, shaking his head. He looked up to Leonardo, it shouldn’t surprise him that he adopted some of his tendencies. “I’ve been selfish. I was doing exactly what we always accused you of doing, taking on everything yourself for our sake.” Don halfheartedly chuckled, “I guess after so many years of watching you do it, I must have subconsciously picked it up.”</p><p>Leo returned the expression with a lopsided smile. He was torn, the bittersweetness of his brother trying to be like him. “Yeah, I suppose so.” He took in a deep breath, collecting himself emotionally. “That’s enough for now, we can talk more when we get back.”</p><p>Both turtles suddenly felt lighter, their hearts freed from an understood guilt they shared. There was only one beam left still pinning his brother. It intersected the few propped up over him and landed snugly over his legs. Leo pushed his bar into the crevasse, carefully snaking it between what he hoped was Don’s legs and the beam. Above them, Michaelangelo still sat, suddenly feeling a bit embarrassed for having overheard such a personal moment between his brothers. </p><p>He moved quietly now, as to not make his presence known. Leo would deshell him for having chosen to eavesdrop instead of fetching Raphael. Soon, all three turtles stopped their actions, holding their breath as an all too familiar sound crept down from above them. It was subtle at first, the iron snapping in crescendo. Mikey looked up, his eyes following the reverberating sound. Sure enough, he heard it again, louder, more violent. He had only a moment before he saw the thick metal coil falling fast towards them.</p><p>Mikey hugged the wall, sucking out all the air as he flattened himself in an attempt to become a smaller target. The cord narrowly missed him as it swung wildly against the walls. He called out to Leo in warning, hoping that saving his brother’s life would counteract the eventual punishment for his disobedience. </p><p>In the elevator, Leo felt the ground pulled out from under him. Leo extended his hand to Don, hoping to grab him before they were separated again. There was a sickening feeling in Leo’s gut that if Don disappeared from his view once more, it would be the last. Perhaps it was Donatello’s own face that prompted this thinking in him. His expression was that of raw terror. A terror that made Leo want nothing more than to hold his brother tightly and let him know that everything was going to be okay. </p><p>That image shattered when Don called out his brother’s name. It had such a passionate emotion that Leo recognized it mirrored in himself a moment before. That’s when he realized the look on Donatello’s face wasn’t due to the fear from falling, from death, but fear for him. For Leo.</p><p>He thought he heard Michelangelo’s voice calling down to him, but before he could react, something collided into him. He felt himself drop down, following Donnie’s descent, but was stopped. There was an unforgiving tug above him, one with so much force that it snapped his head forward. </p><p>Back up above, Mikey watched the dangerous cord intently. He saw it collide with his brother’s lifeline, severing it instantly. His body moved on it’s own, not needing to command it as his arm shot out, gripping the end of his brother’s rope with all his strength. He watched as the cord fell passed them, licking Leo’s form as it descended with Donatello. He felt the snap as the rope in his hand pulled taught, bungeeing his brother’s form.</p><p>“Leo!” His muscles strained at the effort. He thought for sure that his elbow had been ripped from his body. The feeling was so intense that it took everything he had to force his hand not to open in reaction. “Climb up, I don’t know if I can hold it much longer!” The only response Mikey got was his own voice echoing back to him. He looked down, fighting the vertigo of the height as he checked his brother’s form. Leo was still dangling by his torso, the rope secured to his shell. His arms rocked freely as the tension in Mikey’s grip shook. </p><p>“Leo, you have to wake up!” Mikey tried to pull the rope up with one hand, but he couldn’t move it farther than his stomach. Mikey growled at his inability. “I can’t believe Raph was right afterall. How was I supposed to know pull ups were a life or death skill!” </p><p>His feet scraped against the wall, trying to keep him from spinning away as the counterweight of his brother pulled him. With his other hand he held onto his own rope above his head. The overhead grip securing him upright. He needed two hands to pull up his brother, but if he let go, he would upturn and smack headfirst into the wall. </p><p>Mikey looked back down to his brother. His palms were starting to sweat. He could feel the slickness threaten to loosen his hold. He attempted to wrap the rope around his wrist in order to gain a more secure grip, but the rope refused to cooperate. Instead it left a nasty rope burn on the turtle’s wrist before snapping back in place. </p><p>Mikey stared down into the abyss, what was the likelihood that Leo would survive the fall? Did Donnie even survive it? Shell, they had been so close to rescuing their brother, only to lose him again. It wasn’t fair. Why did it always have to be Don? What did his brother do in a past life to piss off Lady Fortune this much? Mikey saw small liquid drops hit his brother’s shell. At first he thought it was his sweat, but his vision soon blurred. Mikey closed his eyes, feeling the tears welling up. “Just stay calm Mikey. Think. You can do this.”</p><p>Mikey held onto the rope for dear life, calling out to the limp form of his older brother as it swayed below him. He took a deep breath, refusing to let the tears continue to fall. He couldn’t think about Donnie. He couldn’t think about all the cool inventions Don had made for them, or the soft smile on his face as he’d get sheepish when they complimented him. He couldn’t think about all the times his brother had been there for him, both in and out of battle. Donatello had saved his shell more times than he could count.</p><p>But it wasn’t a time in battle that played in his memories, no, it was a much simpler memory that teased his emotions. When they were kids, Mikey and Donatello had been close. Mikey had always looked up to his siblings, but back then to Mikey, there was no one greater. With Raphael’s teasing, and Leo always spending time with their father, Don had been Mikey’s constant confidant. He was his best friend. </p><p>When Mikey was a child, he used to get nightmares. He dreamed about monsters, men, or aliens sneaking into the lair to get them at night. One night, Mikey had a particularly bad dream brought on by a ghost story his brothers had told. They four of them had huddled under a makeshift fort in one of the corners of their old lair. They all had taken turns telling stories, seeing who could make the creepiest story. Even back then they were a competitive bunch. </p><p>It was Leo’s turn next, and he had felt fairly confident in the story he was about to weave. He knew he had an advantage from listening to their father’s own tales. He carefully set the mood, emulating Splinter as he lit a single candle in the darkness. He used the long shadows it created to make the atmosphere around them match his tale. The story was about the ghost of a woman who snatched away children, stealing their souls in an attempt to revive her own dead child. </p><p>His voice was low and careful as he described the woman in great detail. She was tall and slender, her form wrapped in a pale white gown. She had long bony fingers and whipsy black hair that splayed out from her. Her eyes were white and glowing. She hovered over the ground, craning her neck around corners to watch children as they played.</p><p>At night she would visit each of their bedrooms, scrapping her long fingernails across the wooden doors. If you were unlucky enough to be up late at night, you could hear the long scrapes, beckoning the child to open the door. All three brothers had been speechless for the duration of the story, too mesmerized by Leo’s voice to comment. By the end, Mikey had all but ripped his blanket apart in fear. He was huddled as close to Raphael and Donatello as his body would allow. </p><p>Mikey was about to confess how scared he was, but Raphael spoke first. “That was the dumbest story ever Leo. Mine was way better.” Raph crossed his arms, pretending to be more brave than he felt. </p><p>Don spoke next, ushering the end of the ghost story session. “Come on Leo, I’ve been up late lots of times and I’ve never seen any women scrapping my door.”</p><p>“Mikey, what did you think?” </p><p>Mikey felt all three brothers stare at him. Suddenly feeling pressure to agree with his brothers, Mikey lied. “Y-Yeah, I wasn’t scared at all.”</p><p>Leo pouted, he had been quite proud of his tale. “Well, at least mine was more believable. Ghosts are way more real than haunted motorcycles.”</p><p>“Hey!” Raph responded defensively.</p><p>Needless to say, Mikey had been freaked out all evening. His brothers had tried to reassure him that it wasn’t real, but of course, that didn’t stop them from trying to spook him for a laugh first. Mikey tossed and turned in the bed, smooshing the pillow over his face to keep the ghosts from seeing him. Occasionally he would hear a noise and peek out, only to be met with eerie shadows. The shadows danced on his walls, much like how Leo had demonstrated in his story. They taunted him for most of the night. The anxiety in his heart only growing the longer he tried to fall asleep. </p><p>He wanted nothing more than to crawl into his father’s room for protection, but Splinter had told the young turtle that he was too old to sleep at his father’s bedside anymore. A young ninja should learn to be brave in times of fear. Even back then, Mikey was good at finding loopholes, and figured his brother's bedside was still an option. </p><p>Funnily enough, Donatello hadn’t been his first option. He had gone down the line of doors, asking Leo and Raph first, only to be rejected. Leo had taken Master Splinter’s side, informing him that he had to be a brave boy in his own bed. Raph, on the other hand, only got irritated at having been woken up. He simply told Mikey that the ghost story wasn’t real and to go to Master Splinter. For a solid minute, Mikey had stood outside Donatello’s door. He stared at his feet, his blanket gripped in his small hands as it trailed behind him. </p><p>If Donatello rejected him as well, he really would be alone with the scary shadows. Mikey wondered if perhaps he should save himself the trouble and just sleep outside Don’s door. He looked about the lair, the home seemingly a lot less friendly with the lights off. In a moment he realized being out here alone was much scarier than being rejected, and quickly turned back to the door. </p><p>Slowly, he opened it. A sliver of light lit his brother’s bed, showing his young brother’s sleeping form. Mikey tip-toed over, shaking his brother as he whispered his name. Donnie hummed, squinting his eyes at the intruder. </p><p>“Mikey?” He mumbled, rubbing the sleep sand from his eyes. “What are you doing here?” For a moment Mikey was silent, staring at his toes again sheepishly. Don sat up, suddenly concerned. “What’s wrong?”</p><p>Mikey fidgeted with his blanket, refusing to make eye contact with his brother as he spoke. His voice was small, ashamed. “Can I sleep with you?”</p><p>For a moment nothing happened, and Mikey was sure that Don would just tell him to go back to his own bed. Instead, Donnie held up his blanket, inviting his sibling into his cocoon. Mikey settled in, relaxing in the warmed blanket offered to him. Donnie scooted over, allowing Mikey part of his pillow. The two settled, for a moment face to face, as Don questioned his brother.</p><p>“Was it a nightmare?” Mikey didn’t answer, but Don could feel the shifting of a nod against the pillowcase. “Don’t worry Mikey. As long as I’m here, nothing bad will happen.” Don rubbed his hand on Mikey’s shoulder lovingly, mumbling to him as he dozed off. “I promise.” Don didn’t know it at the time, but that night played a very important role in Mikey’s life. After that night, Don was the first one Mikey would run to. And every time, without fail, Don accepted him. </p><p>Those nights meant the world to Mikey. And in return, Don would always have Mikey’s trust. Even if he didn’t know it. But now, Mikey regretted never telling his brother. He couldn’t let himself think about the fact that he may never get to repay him. No, he couldn’t think about how those could only be memories now. He couldn’t think about when the last time he had told his brother that he loved him. Don was alright. He had to be. And right now Mikey had to get Leo to safety. There would be time to think about Donatello later.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I loved writing this chapter, the problem was finding out where to cut it. I shot myself in the foot trying to do in-scene shifts, now it's impossible to find a natural stopping point. Ain't nobody got time for a 15k chapter.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>With his vision clear once more, Mikey craned his neck up to the light above. He sucked in as much air as his lungs would hold, tightening his stomach as he expelled his voice, calling for his brother. It ripped from his throat so violently that it burned. The sound was so guttural, so primal, that it would cause every hair and nerve to stand on end for anyone that heard. His hand was shaking so much, his shoulder screaming at the strain. His throat felt raw, his voice starting to go hoarse. </p><p>He felt the tears pooling in his eyes again, blurring out anything but the bright light filtering down from above. Mikey wanted so bad to let go, to release his aching muscles. His body begged, screamed for him to do so. But he already may have lost one brother, losing Leo as well would be too much to bear. Surely he was capable of doing something as simple as holding on. He’d never be able to forgive himself if he was the cause of Leo’s untimely death. </p><p>He could feel the welts forming in his reddened throat as he continued screaming for his brother. Despite the death grip on his brother’s lifeline, he noticed it starting to slip. Mikey pleaded for his fingers to hold on just a bit longer. He’d trade anything in this moment for his brother’s safety. Without a second thought Mikey offered up everything, negotiating with an imaginary higher power for his brother’s life. Comics, music, television? He’d swear them all off. Drawing, video games, pizza? He’d never touch them again. With every inch of the rope that slipped from his grasp, Mikey gave up more and more for the imaginary deal. </p><p>Not once did he stop. Mikey continued, willing his voice louder. Even as he felt a violent tugging on his own rope. Suddenly, Mikey was gripped and thrown forcefully into the chaotic mess of the lobby. Mikey rolled over, catching the image of Raphael hoisting their brother out of the chute. He watched as Raph cursed, tentatively touching the wound on Leo’s head. There was a long gash across it, his face covered in blood. Raphael pulled a cloth out from his belt, pressing it to the open wound. </p><p>“What the shell happened?” Raphael’s voice was shaken but demanding as he looked his brother over. There were nasty bruises around his head and neck. His blue bandana was darkened, absorbing much of the stray blood. He wiped away as much as he could, inspecting the wound. The cut was anything but clean. Whatever hit him had ripped his skin open. </p><p>Immediately, Raph unwound his packed gauze onto the leader’s face before checking his pulse. Thankfully, Leo was unconscious but breathing. A sudden rage filled the red turtle as he gazed at Leonardo’s still form. The weakened look on his face reminded Raph of their time at the farmhouse. He had had an expression all too similar back then. And weeks of watching, helpless as Leo recovered had not been kind to him.</p><p>Raphael snapped, his voice rising as he repeated his question. “What the shell happened, Mikey?!” He looked to the smaller turtle, whose eyes were wide as they stared at Leo’s still form. Raphael noticed the death grip his brother still had on the rope in his hand. It was secured to Leo, the remnants of his rappelling rope. </p><p>Mikey’s hands were shaking, forgotten tears still apparent in his eyes. His face was ghostly pale and clearly shaken. Raphael placed a hand gingerly on his brother, only for him to flinch. He looked up to Raph, as if noticing him for the first time. Raphael said nothing as his hands moved down over Mikey’s. His actions were soft as he gently pried the rope from his sibling’s stiff fingers. He moved the rope away from them before taking both of Mikey’s hands in his own, squeezing them. His voice was soft for once, untold care behind his quiet tone.</p><p>“What happened?”</p><p>Mikey finally broke free from his trance, shaking his head as it lowered. His voice was broken, a slight gravel and squeak lacing the sound. His throat had become painfully hoarse from the effort behind his cries for help. It hurt to speak. </p><p>“Don, he was stuck.” </p><p>Raph’s voice rose once more, this time in surprise, not anger. “You found him? Is he okay?” </p><p>Mikey looked to his brother, an apology in his eyes. “Leo tried to get him free, but the elevator, it wasn’t stable. Don said it was too dangerous to stay, but Leo didn’t listen. The elevator tether snapped, the wire hit Leo. I-I had to grab him. But Don, he...he...” Mikey’s lip quivered as he moved his head away from Raphael’s desperate eyes. “Raph, we couldn’t get him in time.” </p><p>There was heavy silence in the lobby. Mikey expected his brother to curse, explode, start ripping the cracked walls apart in rage, but he didn’t move. Mikey dug his fingernails into his thighs, pushing the urge to cry as far down as he could. He stared at the floor as a few rebellious tears escaped anyway. Mikey then felt the hesitating grip on his hands falter. Slowly, Raph’s hands retracted from his brother, and Mikey looked up to see his brother stand and turn away from him.</p><p>“Mikey. Get Leo home.”</p><p>At once Michelangelo was on his feet, moving back into his brother’s view.  “What about Donnie?”</p><p>Raphael’s voice was low, stern, almost void of emotion as he walked forward. “I’ll get him.”</p><p>Mikey moved to place his hands on Raphael’s arms, wincing as his bad elbow flared up in pain. “No, Raph, this is all my fault!” Mikey cursed his hoarse voice for sapping the firm tone he had been hoping to convey. “If I had left when Leo said, if I had gotten you quicker, then maybe Don would’ve be-”</p><p>Mikey’s words were cut off as his windpipe was crushed by his brother’s shoulder. He thought for a second that Raph was trying to throw him out of the way. But instead he stood there, stock still as he gripped his brother in a choking hug. </p><p>“Mikey, don’t.” Raphael continued to squeeze his brother tightly in his arms as his mind played back the harrowing events moments before. He had made it to the bottom of the shaft without a single sign of their missing brother. He had just begun to climb back up when he realized he hadn’t heard from his noisy sibling in a while. Raph smiled to himself in the silence. He hadn’t really looked forward to being stuck in an echo chamber at the mercy of Michelangelo’s every word.</p><p>When the light filtering from the above entrance faded back into view, Raph started to get worried. Had something happened? Had they found Don and Mikey forgot to let him know? Raph growled, promising to pummel the turtle if the later had transpired. Suddenly a noise echoed down to him. It was muffled, but it startled him enough that his foot almost slipped off its hold on the wall. Instantly he stopped, listening for it to repeat. </p><p>A cold chill moved through his body as he realized the sound was his brother’s voice. It shocked Raphael in place. The sound was so terrible, something from his darkest nightmares that caused his fight or flight reflexes to kick in. His mind filled with a thousand different scenarios, all extremely unpleasant. His heart leapt into his throat as the image of Michelangelo’s body being struck down, the screams creating vivid imagery to his imagination. He scrambled up the elevator in such a hurry, he couldn’t even remember doing it. His brain was in a daze as he sought out Mikey, praying that he was okay, that he would make it in time. </p><p>As he made it to the other elevator, he found his brothers dangling far below. Now he could hear Mikey’s plea echo so loudly in his ears, he was sure it would be burned into his brain for all eternity. He desperately yanked at the rope, pulling his brothers up with all his might. His body moved on its own as he hoisted them up, his brain too scrambled to make words or reassurances until he could feel them firm in his grip.</p><p>Raphael released a shaky sigh as the memories fell from his thoughts. He rubbed his calloused hands over the tough scutes of Mikey’s shell, reminding himself that his brother was unhurt, that he was okay. “The way you were screaming my name...I thought for sure something terrible had happened to you. It was terrifying thinking I might not be able to get to you in time.” Mikey had scared him to death in that moment. Thinking back, he really had thought something terrible had happened. Truthfully something had, but he had been imagining something much worse. Something along the lines of the walls being decorated with their missing brother. </p><p>Raphael’s voice was but a whisper as he nestled his head into his brother’s shoulder. “I was so scared, Mike.” </p><p>Mikey finally softened his body against his brother’s, letting himself lean into the embrace. His sore fingers tentatively wrapped around Raph’s shell. The act was as much comforting as it was to comfort the other. For a moment they stood there in silence, allowing the stress they had been under to melt away some. </p><p>Suddenly Raphael jerked Mikey back, making him look at him. “Bro, don’t you <em> ever </em>scare me like that again!” </p><p>Mikey couldn’t help the pure shock from settling on his face, his mind reeling at the sudden 180 in atmosphere. As Mikey’s mind caught up with his brother’s emotions, he allowed a small smile to form, chuckling as he promised not to. “Thanks for saving us, bro.”</p><p>Raphael huffed, clapping his brother on the back as he replied. “Anytime knucklehead.” He roughly mussed Mikey’s head as he turned, smiling as he laughed at the playful tone. Signaling the end of their moment, Raph moved back to Leo’s side. “We have to get Leo out of here.”</p><p>Mikey knelt beside their leader, wincing as his elbow took too much weight. “What about Don?” He asked tentatively.</p><p>Raphael noticed the wince as Mikey cradled his elbow gingerly. He moved behind Mikey, staring at the dark empty elevator shaft in front of him. “You go on. I’ll get him.”</p><p>Mikey whipped back to stare at his brother in protest. “But-”</p><p>“You won’t be able to rappel down with that gimp arm of yours. And Leo’s injury looks pretty bad. You both’ll only get in my way at this point.” Raphael hated to say it, but he needed Mikey to listen. Leonardo needed more than the field dressings he had provided, and first responders would no doubt be showing up soon. He’d feel better knowing that both of his brothers were back at the lair waiting. There was also one, slightly selfish reason Raph wanted Mikey to go. Mikey was already emotionally exhausted from the previous event. He couldn’t bear to see Mikey’s expression coming across Donatello’s dead body. He wouldn’t be able to take it. </p><p>This was one thing he could do for his brother. “I’ll take the working shellcell, call me as soon as you make it home.” Before Mikey could object anymore, he snatched the phone from his brother’s belt and jumped into the shaft. As he descended at a controlled speed, he heard Mikey’s voice call to him from above. </p><p>“Raph, I don’t want to leave him!”</p><p>Raphael paused his descent, turning up to look at his brother. “Mikey, go. <em> Please </em>.” When Mikey continued to hover at the opening, Raphael added. “I promise you bro, I’ll bring Donnie home. No matter what.”</p><p>Mikey slowly nodded to his brother before turning back out of sight. He carefully scooped up Leo, draping him over his shoulder, using his good arm to hold most of his brother’s weight. He maneuvered through the dilapidated lobby and back out of the building, trying not to think about the meaning behind his brother’s words. </p><p>
  <em> No matter what.  </em>
</p><p>
  <em> You mean alive or not, don’t you Raphie. </em>
</p><p>For a long stretch of time, Raphael was surrounded by darkness. He could no longer see the dim light the entrance offered. It felt like he had been rappelling forever. Why hadn’t he hit the bottom? With each floor he passed, his heart sank more. How many floors had his brother dropped? And how was he even going to get both of them back up? He should have thought this through more. Thinking before they acted was what he counted on Leo and Donnie for. Without them he normally just reacted with his emotions. </p><p>You’d think that would get him into enough tough situations that he’d learn. In truth, Raphael wanted to be anywhere else but here. He didn’t want to have to be the one to find their brother’s body and carry it back to the lair. He didn’t want to be alone with Don’s body, only his own thoughts to keep him company on the long trek back home. But they couldn’t leave their brother here. He needed to see Donatello for himself.</p><p>Raphael wondered what his brother had thought of him in his last moments, if he had thought about him at all. He was hard on Don at times, but only because he believed in his brother so much. Don wasn’t like them, he was something special. He always had such a kind heart, everything he did was for others. He would do great things in the future that would benefit others, Raph was certain of that. Would have.</p><p>His thoughts drifted below, wondering how much of his brother he would find and what state he would be in. Raphael’s stomach churned. All of the thoughts began to crowd his mind, overwhelming him. Using his fist as an outlet, Raphael punched the wall. The loud metal reverberating sound echoed along the walls. <em> Shut up Raph! Just shut up! Don’s not gone yet. Not until I see his dead body for myself </em>. </p><p>Don had gotten out of worse things before. Just because things seemed hopeless, didn’t mean they were. He was their miracle turtle, who they turned to when things seemed impossible. Donnie would always have some secret idea or gizmo to get them out of a tight pinch. Raphael allowed the small seed of hope to grow in his heart. That is, until he looked down.</p><p>Raphael could see the bottom of the shaft now. Right now the possible had just become a lot more improbable. In an instant the hopeful seed growing inside him withered. The elevator, if you could still call it that, was an accordion of metal at the bottom of the chute. The final floor’s door was malfunctioning, the metal door jerking as it continuously tried to close itself. He could see the blinking emergency lights everytime it moved back, flooding the bottom of the chute with red light. </p><p>Raphael released himself from the rappel, searching the manufactured sharp shapes for his brother. He wasn’t even sure what he should be looking for. A limb? Some shell? He felt his stomach flop in apprehension. He wanted nothing more than to turn tail and head back, but he had to know. Denial, as sweet as it sounded, was nothing compared to a lifetime of ‘what ifs’ and wonderings. His eyes caught something familiar, and his heart jumped. Slowly he reached out for the fabric, praying that it wasn’t connected to his brother.</p><p>He pulled at it, recognizing it immediately as it’s dislodged from the refuge. Don’s duffel. The strap was snapped. There was a tear along its side, parts of its holdings tumbling out. Raph reached down to grab at the fallen object at his feet. As he picked it up, he felt his whole body triple in weight. In his hand was the gasket he had asked his brother to grab the night before. Raphael closed his eyes. He knew the guilt would forever eat him alive.</p><p>He quickly shoved it back into the duffel, along with all the emotions fighting for dominance inside him. Next, he tied the broken strap together before slinging it over his shoulder. He scanned the area again, his eyes catching on his brother’s weapon. The organic wood of the staff stuck out against the manufactured metal surrounding it. He braced his foot against the pile, grasping it firmly with both hands. He readied his stance, using his full weight to pull it out. As he did he flung back into the concrete wall, yelping as his skull collided against it. </p><p>He rubbed the throbbing away, hissing at the wall in question. Then he looked to the staff, noting how light it felt in his hand. It was clear now why he hadn’t needed as much force as he had given. Only half the bo remained in his grip, the other half assumedly still under the pile of debris. He called out Donatello’s name, continuing to search the wreckage. </p><p>As he pulled away a rather large piece, he slipped. Something under him was slick enough for him to lose balance. He shoved the piece back off him, looking to the spot under him. He immediately regretted doing so. Currently underneath him was a large pool of blood. It was coming from under the pile he had found the bo staff in. The blood had to have been Donatello’s, and he was currently sitting in it. </p><p>Repulsed, Raphael shot up, cursing himself for having not seen it earlier. This evidence was all Raph needed for his adrenaline to kick back in. He allowed the chemicals to drive him as he frantically uncovered the pile. He shoved each piece off, allowing them to fall or be thrown to the side half-hazardly. His panicked actions causing his hands to cut along the sharp metal. He could feel the cuts sting on his skin, but he didn’t care. All he could think about was his brother bleeding out in front of him. </p><p>Soon there was nothing left. The entire pile had been moved to the other side of him, piece by piece. And there, right in front of him, stood nothing. There was nothing there. Raphael looked around the box, confusion dripping from his features. There was no way he had missed Don. The elevator wasn’t big enough to have. But Donatello’s stuff had been here, his brothers had seen him here. So, that only meant one thing. Don wasn’t there anymore.</p><p>Raphael could feel a small spark of joy inside his chest. Don wasn’t here, that meant that he had been alive after the crash. But where could he have gone? Raph looked around the chute, searching for any means of escape. He caught the familiar slick dark hue of blood he had slipped on before. It trailed along the wall, smearing its way up towards the malfunctioning door. The red hue of the emergency lights had made it near impossible to have picked it out before.</p><p>He jumped up the side of the walls, grabbing the edge of the basement floor as he hoisted himself up. He moved the doors aside as he slid inside. The red hue of the emergency evacuation lights filled every corner of the hall, but the dark colored splatters on the floor were easy to spot. They lead off down the corridor and around the corner. Raphael took off after the trail, one intoxicating thought driving him forward. Don was alive. </p><p>In fact, at the other end of the floor, Donatello was currently running as hard as his injured body would allow. The last thing Donatello had remembered was watching as the cord from the elevator collided with Leo’s head. It was the one thing he had feared, he had begged Leo to leave him because of that same scenario. When the cord snapped, he watched it move towards them. He tried to move, to warn his brother, but he had been stuck under the weight from the beams, unable to reach out to him. </p><p>As he fell away all he could do was watch as it nicked him, the force snapping his rope. Donatello could feel the dripping of his brother’s blood splattering on the elevator floor as he fell. Now unable to do much more, Don braced himself for the impact below. He had been right about being pinned, much like wearing a seatbelt, it kept him from being fatally hurt. He tucked his arms around his head, shrinking into his shell as much as he could and waited. </p><p>Donatello figured despite protecting his skull, he must have still passed out from the whiplash because he couldn’t remember the collision. When he opened his eyes again, he quickly surveyed what he could see. Thanks to the emergency lights from the final floor, a dim red glow flooded the area. Donnie failed to see the smashed form of Leo near him, and sighed with relief. <em> So Leo hadn’t fallen. </em></p><p>Don did however notice two things. There was a pool of blood in front of him, and the weight pinning him had in fact shifted. The blood couldn’t have been from him. A shiver rippled through him as he realized it must have been from Leo’s head wound, the drops having collected over time. Donnie tested his movement, scooting his body out from under the beams. With a final swift tug, his legs pulled out, causing the metal debris to collapse in on itself. There was an intense pain in his leg and Don resisted gripping the limb as it subsided. </p><p>Leo had been right before, there was a significant amount of blood underneath him. Donatello thought the light headedness was due to the whiplash of the fall, but it was much more likely that it was due to blood loss. Donnie craned his head upwards into the darkness overhead, listening for either of his brothers. When there was only silence, he attempted to stand. That was a big mistake. </p><p>He instantly felt faint as a dark vignette filled his vision. He found himself back on the floor, gasping, and with a throbbing headache. The collapse irritated his cracked shell, the sharp edge digging further into his shoulder. He propped himself up on one of the piles, breathing heavily as he attempted to call for his brothers. His voice was weak. Weak enough that the echoes the metallic walls created were not enough to carry his voice the several floors needed to reach them. He glanced back at the pool of blood. It was possible his brother was still dangling overhead, bleeding out. <em> I have to get to him. </em></p><p>Donnie surveyed his options, he had no way of climbing up to him, and no way of calling for help. His shellcell had disappeared in the fall, and Don was certain he wasn’t strong enough to search the rubble for it. That is, if it hadn’t been crushed. That left one final option. Don turned to the malfunctioning doors above him. He had to get to them.</p><p>They were fairly easy to reach thanks to a beam that had leaned against the wall nearby. He climbed up the slant, ignoring the pains in his beaten body as he pulled himself up. He squeezed himself through the doors, rolling onto his shell as he regained his breath. His energy had been spent. Don reasoned with his unwilling body, promising to take a nice long shower and lay on the couch for a whole week after he saved his brother.</p><p>His arms shook as he lifted himself back up. Now that he was in the full light, Donnie could make out where the bleeding had come from. Just above his hip, in-between his plastron and carapace, was a gash almost the size of his finger. It didn’t look so bad, but Don could feel that it was deep. One of the metal pieces must have punctured him during the initial blast. When Leo had tried to pry him free, it must have dislodged it. It was a miracle he hadn’t bled out yet.</p><p>Unless he found a working elevator, Don wasn’t confident he would make it back to his brothers before he passed out. He had to stop the bleeding. In a daze, Donatello trudged down the hall, trying to open every door he came across. He had no gauze, and no fabric he could use to plug the wound. Everything Don had carried was in his duffel, buried underneath the mess of metal in the elevator. All he had was the balled up cloth belt in his palm as he pressed it to the wound. </p><p>All the doors he passed were locked, and Don could feel himself growing weaker. He had hoped to find a towel or gauze in one of the storage rooms, but without his electronic lock pick or tools, it was impossible to get the doors open. <em> Screw it. </em> Don decided he couldn’t afford anymore time and dashed off to the stairwell. He leaned heavily on the railing as he moved his injured leg gingerly up the stairs, careful to keep pressure on his side as he did so. It felt like an never ending loop of torture as he ascended the many floors. His knees buckled twice during the journey, sacrificing his bad knee as he opted to keep pressing on the wound rather than use his hand to catch himself.</p><p>With a small surge in terror, Donatello faintly realized he couldn’t remember where he was going. His eyes spotted the emergency door ahead and stumbled over to it. He caught on the push handle of the door with both hands, dropping the forgotten bundled belt on the floor. His momentum pushed the door out, causing him to stumble to the ground outside. There was a sudden change in temperature, and Donatello realized something cold was surrounding him.</p><p>Why couldn’t he remember where he was? He stared at the buildings in front of him, noting how they were sideways. When had he lied down? Donnie dragged himself upward, mentlly kicking himself for not remembering what he needed to do. There was something important he was forgetting. He managed to crawl far enough away from the door that it slammed close. As the latch clicked in place, Donnie remembered the garage. </p><p>He had gone topside. He was supposed to pick something up. But what it was, and why he needed it still eluded him. Why did he feel so tired? <em> I need to get up </em> . Something inside urged him to keep trying to move despite the confusion he felt. He lifted himself up with his arms, only to fall back into the snow face first. <em> Why do I need to get up? </em>It felt like his brain was replaced with cotton balls. He dully felt his limbs start to tingle, a fuzzy numbness spreading throughout them. </p><p>It was so cold, but something underneath him began warming his numb limbs. Donatello wondered for a moment what he was laying on, and shifted his head enough to peer down below him. He was bleeding. The color was easy to see against the white snow, but somehow the sight didn’t alarm Donatello. He calmly told himself he needed to stop the bleeding, but a second part of him persuaded him to do it later. The blood was warm and he felt so tired. </p><p>He could get to it later, after he closed his eyes for just a few moments. Despite the blood providing some warmth, he felt himself grow colder. The snowflakes falling on his body were like icy pinpricks to his nerves. He watched them fall gently onto his hand in front of him, noting how beautiful they were. It was so quiet. The snow was so beautiful, he couldn’t remember feeling such peace before. It felt nice. <em> Maybe it </em> would <em> be okay to close my eyes, just for a moment. </em></p><p>When the door behind him burst open, Don was too far gone to react. He felt something brush over his shell, a force gently turning him over. The motion was soft, but it caused the vertigo in him to double. There was nausea building in his pit from the action. He felt something brush against his cold face, tickling his senses. He tried to swat the intruder away, but his hand only flinched in the snow. Soon the presence felt warm, its heat breaking through the thick cold in his skin. </p><p>He felt the pressure move lower into his abdomen, causing the unpleasant nausea to build up more. He wheezed, pushing through the grogginess when the intense pressure returned full force above his hip. He heard someone shuffling, Donnie thought someone was speaking, but he couldn’t make out the words. </p><p>He opened his eyes, the bright snow keeping his vision squinted as he tried to assess what he could see. His mind must have been playing tricks on him because all that filled his vision was the street and sideways buildings he had seen earlier. Then, something grey blocked his vision completely. Don struggled to identify what he was looking at, but when he did, he almost cried. It was his duffle bag. He knew he had forgotten something important. It must have been that. </p><p>Slowly, he moved his hand across the snow, reaching out to touch it. He thought he heard someone call his name, but that couldn’t be right. He had gone out on his own. He was supposed to pick up something for his brother. What had it been? Soon his vision changed again, filling with red. His mouth moved before his brain had caught up.</p><p>“Raphie.”</p><p>There, leaning over him, was his brother. There was sweat gleaming on his forehead, and his eyes had dark circles under them. Despite this, an uncharacteristically sweet smile appeared on his face. “Donnie, hey bro. Glad you’re still with me.” His voice was gruff and tired. “You know, you had us worried sick runnin off like that.”</p><p>Don stared at his brother, trying to focus on his words. It was hard, he wanted nothing more than to just close his eyes. “Where did I go?”</p><p>Raph’s smile faded, staring at his brother as a flicker of worry shown in his eyes. Raphael continued to press down on the wound in his brother’s side, letting the blood clot some before he attempted to move him. Donnie’s eyes were unfocused, his mind elsewhere. It worried Raphael that his brother didn’t even seem to register the immense pain he should be feeling from the pressure with which he bore down. </p><p>His brother’s fingers were starting to turn blue, and his face was pale. Raphael snapped his fingers in front of his brother’s eyes. Don’s reaction was slow, doing nothing to settle the fear resting inside Raphael’s stomach. After a moment of contemplation, Raphael reached for the duffel with one hand. Don’s gaze followed him to the bag. He moved many of the gizmos out of the way as he searched for medical tape, allowing some of the contents to spill out. He grabbed a roll of gauze, unraveling it with his teeth. As he quickly packed more of the gauze over the wound, he heard Donnie speak. </p><p>“The junkyard.”</p><p>Raphael paused for a moment, turning to his brother. “What?” </p><p>Don was staring at the duffel in front of him as if trying to solve a puzzle. His fingers reached for the bag, weakly grasping at it. “I needed to get a part for your bike.” </p><p>Raph was speechless, having completely forgotten about the machine. “Donnie, forget the stupid bike. It doesn’t matter anymore.” </p><p>Donatello ignored his brother, continuing a string of surprisingly coherent thoughts. If Raph hadn’t been staring at his brother, he probably would have missed his quiet response. “I let you down again. Raph, I’m sorry.” He must have been crying because the look on Raphael's face just made his heart sink further. “Guess I’m not earning any good brother points, huh?”</p><p>Raphael didn’t think his heart could break anymore. He bit his lip as his eyes stung with tears. He used the back of his wrist to angrily wipe them away as he swallowed the lump in his throat. “I don’t care about the damn bike Donnie!” Raphael threw his clenched fist into the snow. His voice grew so loud that it managed to earn him Don’s attention back. “I only cared about spending time with you.” Raph could feel his labored breathing as he returned his brother’s surprised gaze. </p><p>Don’s hand slowly moved from the bag to his brother’s clenched fist. The motion created a small pathetic snow angel wing on the ground. His cold fingers brushed against Raph’s knuckles. The pressure was so soft it tickled his skin. The longer Raphael stared at his brother, the more apparent his sunken eyes became. Even now, Raph could hear Leonardo’s voice in his head, telling him that now was not the time to let his emotions guide him. As if confirming his thoughts, Raph heard his ringtone go off. It snapped him away from his brother’s gaze instantly, and Raphael pulled Donnie to carefully sit up.</p><p>With half lidded eyes, Donatello tried to focus on his brother. Donnie’s head weakly lolled as he tried to keep it up, his hand lifting to rest on one of Raph’s forearms. “Raph, I’m sorry...I didn’t realize-” He felt a warm hand cupping his face as he tried to mutter apologies. </p><p>“If anyone should be apologizing, it should be me. I should’ve gone with you to the junkyard. It was my stupid bike you were getting a part for.” With one hand still placed over his brother’s wound, Raph wound the gauze as tightly around Don’s shell as he could. The packed cloth had already become saturated with blood, but Raph didn’t have anymore to give. It would have to do until they got back to the lair. </p><p>“I should’ve just been honest with you from the start.” Raph’s voice became low, reflecting his vulnerability as he continued wrapping his brother.</p><p>“I thought you wanted to know how to fix your bike, in case something happened while you were topside?” Even through Donnie’s half lidded eyes, he caught the sheepish look on his brother’s face.</p><p>“Yeah I mean, it started out that way, but I enjoyed hanging out with you so much I didn’t want it to stop.” As he reached the end of the gaze, Raph spotted his brother’s lopsided grin.</p><p>“Is that why you kept trying to upgrade the cycle?”</p><p>Raphael chuckled, feeling a bit more relaxed now that his brother was alert enough to keep up a conversation. “Yes and no, but sometimes I would purposefully break something on the bike so that we’d have to fix it.” Raphael was taken off guard when his brother weakly slapped him, calling him out on his behavior. The motion was more pathetic than anything, but it still managed to make him laugh.</p><p>“I’m not smart enough to understand all that high tech crap in your other projects, so the bike was the only thing I knew I could work on with you.” Raphael allowed his head to dip down, softly connecting their foreheads together. “But lately you’ve been spending so much time on those other projects of yours, I just missed hanging out with you.”</p><p>Raphael could feel his brother’s fingers softly curl around the lip of his carapace. It was as much of a hug as his brother could give in his current state. His brother had a dusting of snow over his body, but he wasn’t shivering. Don felt like a popsicle against Raph’s own hot skin. “Me too brother. Me too.” His voice was so quiet, it would be impossible to hear if they hadn’t been so close. </p><p>Raphael had just finished securing the gauze when he felt Don’s hand fall away from him. His head leaned forward onto his chest. Raphael grabbed his brother’s shoulders, lightly shaking him as he called his name. “Don! Donnie! Bro, you have to stay awake!”</p><p>Don’s head bobbed in response, his fingers twitching as he groaned. Donatello could feel the nausea once more as he was hoisted up onto his brother’s shell. He cracked his eyes open, instantly regretting the action as the buildings whizzing past only served to worsen his nausea and vertigo. </p><p>“Just hold on brother. I’ll get you home and fixed up, good as new. Just hold out a little longer.” Raphael’s focus moved between his footwork and his brother’s breathing. It was labored and audible, but shallow. The ground was completely covered in an inch of snow. It was too early in the morning for the salt trucks to have come by, meaning that the roads were still covered. This made it much harder to find a sewer hatch. </p><p>Raphael knelt down in several spots where he thought one might be. But everytime he wiped the snow away, he was met with pavement. Raphael cursed, feeling more and more helpless as time went on. Suddenly he remembered the front of the building, with the explosion earlier, most of the snow had melted nearby. Surely one of the sewer hatches was still visible there. </p><p>Raph darted back to the front of Biotech, risking being seen as he made a beeline for it. Sure enough, he spotted the dark metal circle on the road nearby, still visible through the light patch of new snow. He tried to pry off the lid, struggling with it for a few moments before he realized it was frozen. He took out his sai, refusing to waste anymore time. </p><p>He plunged the sai into the handle, using his weight as leverage against it. With a crunch, the metallic lid broke away, revealing the dark and damp underbelly of the city. As he dropped down into the sewers, Raph felt his brother’s head bounce against his shell. Don groaned a few moments later, registering the movement in delay. “Sorry Don.” Raphael felt bad, but speed was more important at this point.</p><p>He expertly maneuvered his phone into one hand, careful not to let his brother’s limp form slide off. He clicked on the missed call from Mikey, letting the phone redial his brother’s number. The line instantly connected. “Mikey, did you guys make it back okay?”</p><p>Mikey had been waiting by the phone for quite a while, his anxiety simmering after Raph hadn’t picked up the first time. “Yeah, we’re back and we’re both okay. I got Leo fixed up, he hasn’t woken up but his pulse is pretty strong.” There was a beat of silence and Raph could feel the hesitation in his brother’s voice. “Did you...Did you find Dee?”</p><p>Raphael sighed, thankful he didn’t have to deliver any bad news. “Yeah. Yeah Mike, I found him, but he’s in real bad shape. He’s lost too much blood.”</p><p>Without missing a beat, Mikey replied. “I’ll get the blood bags ready, what else do you need? How far away are you?”</p><p>Raphael grunted as a stray piece of concrete caught his foot. He stumbled forward, the extra weight almost causing him to lose balance. He cursed, dropping to one knee as the phone slipped out of his hand. Donatello slid off his back, his shell connecting with the wet concrete tunnel with a clack. Raph heard his brother’s whine as he retrieved the phone. </p><p>“Five minutes Mikey!” He turned back to his brother, shutting the phone as he retrieved Donatello. Don’s eyes fluttered open as Raphael called out to him, urging him to stay awake. Donatello could see blood on his brother, and a small amount of adrenaline offered him enough strength to speak. </p><p>“Raph, you’re bleeding.”</p><p>Raph was taken off guard, quickly glancing down at himself. It was true, his hands and legs were covered in blood, but he felt no pain. His heart sank further when he realized that the only blood he carried was in fact Donatello’s own. He kneeled down, grabbing his brother as he replied. “Don’t worry Donnie, it’s not mine.”</p><p>“Oh,” Donatello hummed as he allowed his eyelids to fall back closed, “that’s good.”</p><p>Raphael lifted his brother’s form, propping him up on the wall. “No, Donnie, don’t do that!” Donnie could feel his brother’s hands at his face, forcing his head up to make eye contact. “Keep your eyes open, just a little while longer. We’re almost home, Mikey and Leo are waiting for us.”</p><p>“Home?” Donatello slurred, he looked at his brother, but it felt like his gaze went right through him.</p><p>“Yeah buddy, home.” Raphael hoisted Don back onto his shell, straining to hear his brother’s voice as it continued to grow softer.</p><p>“I’m so tired.”</p><p>Raphael shifted his brother higher up, allowing him a better grip. “I know Donnie, me too. But you still have a promise to keep, remember?”</p><p>For a few moments, the only sounds echoing down the damp tunnels were Raphael’s hastened footsteps, and the pittering of water dropping from the walls. Raphael thought that his brother might have fallen back asleep, before a sudden voice filled his ears. </p><p>“Ah,” Recognition showed in Don’s voice as he remembered their conversation. “The bike.”</p><p>“Yeah bro, when we get back you’re going to finally fix it up like you promised, right?”</p><p>Donatello chuckled, a bittersweet feeling overcoming him. “I did promise after all.” Raphael felt Don’s weak movement on his shell, his cheek rubbing slowly against him. He was too tired to catch the tears piling up at the sides of his vision, and in a fleeting moment of clarity, Don realized that he was dying. </p><p>It had been a long time since Raph had carried his brother like this. Back when they were children, exploring the tunnels instead of the city. The four of them were playing hide and seek, and Donatello managed to twist his ankle on a broken pipe. Raphael had been the seeker, finding his brother quite easily thanks to the injury. </p><p>Donatello felt embarrassed and was sure that his brother was planning on teasing him. At first he tried to hide it, but it became painfully apparent when he couldn't put any pressure on it. Raphael had become quite serious after noticing his brother’s injury. He caught Donatello as he stumbled, his ankle giving out with a cry.</p><p>“Donnie are you okay?”</p><p>Don’s face screwed up with pain as he clutched the swollen limb. “I’m fine, it’s nothing.”</p><p>Raphael grabbed his brother’s hands, forcing them away from his foot in order to see. The ankle had a gash on the inside and was already bruising. “What happened?”</p><p>Don pursued his lips, knowing he had been teased for his clumsiness before. His voice was quiet as he cursed himself for not having been more careful. He stared at his limb in betrayal, his head resigned. “I tripped.”</p><p>Donatello waited for his brother’s sly remark. Instead, Raphael hoisted him up in a piggy back ride without another word. Donnie thought maybe he should be more embarrassed at the help, but he was thankful he didn’t have to walk on his tender injury. </p><p>“Wait, what about Mikey and Leo? They’re still hiding.” </p><p>Raphael chuckled, his cheeky attitude returning. “They’ll figure it out eventually.”</p><p>“Raphie, that’s not very nice.”</p><p>Raphael craned his head back, a sly smile on his face. “If you like, I could yell down the tunnels that you lost again and managed to injure yourself. I’m sure Mikey would love to help you out.”</p><p>Memories of being smothered by his brother while he was sick swarmed his mind. Mikey was good natured but tended to go overboard. More times than not in an attempt to help, Mikey had accidentally done more harm than good, particularly when it came to anything in his room. Donnie swung in his brother’s grip, rocking their forms. “No, don't do that! Promise me Raphie that you won’t tell them!”</p><p>Raphael stopped moving, planting his feet firmly as his sibling bucked on his back in protest.  “Okay, okay, I promise!”</p><p>“Good.” Donnie said as he abruptly stopped. He hugged his brother’s neck, allowing Raph to carry him back home. “A turtle always keeps his promises.”</p><p>He was bigger now, and the circumstances were much different, but Raph couldn’t help but see the parallels in the memory. He squeezed Donatello closer, as if the action could somehow help keep his brother’s life from slipping away further. Raph whispered, repeating his brother’s line aloud. “A turtle always keeps his promises.” By the time Raphael burst into the lair, he could no longer hear the shallow breaths from his brother.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Every time I try to write the end for this fic, another chapter appears. I'm hoping the next chapter will finally be the last.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Happy 4th of July!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Mikey was ready and waiting for his brother’s return by the entrance, ready to usher them into the prepared station. Despite the night they had, or perhaps due to it, Mikey was keeping it together fairly well. He faltered at the sight of them, having been thrown off by the sheer amount of blood covering both his brothers.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Raphael wasted no time in laying Donatello down on the open cot. Mikey silently followed after, trying his hardest to keep his questions about last night’s events at bay, at least until his brother was stable. As soon as Raphael laid Don down, he called over to Mikey.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Grab the pillows from the couch.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mikey paused, suddenly confused and slightly irritated, “Shouldn’t we focus on stopping his bleeding instead of making sure he’s comfortable?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Raphael turned, trying his hardest to not take out his building frustrations on Mikey. “We need to elevate his legs so the blood circulates back to his heart. If he doesn’t have enough blood to pump, he’ll have a heart attack.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mikey didn’t need to hear more. The mention of a heart attack was enough to make him disappear in an instant. He returned almost immediately, his speed surprising despite running on fumes. He threw the pillows to Raph, who in turn shoved them under their brother’s legs. Raph swiftly covered his body in a pile of blankets, hoping to stave off hypothermia and necrosis as they worked. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What can I do?” Raphael turned to his brother, whose voice was still grated from his dilemma in the elevator. Mikey moved to the table behind him, motioning to the array of items available. On the table was one of everything from their medical cabinet. “I didn’t know what Don needed so I…Well, I got everything.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Raphael was taken aback, proud and slightly terrified at the length Mikey had gone to since their call. “Uh,” Raph stammered, “Get the IV drip and blood transfusion going. I’ve gotta disinfect and close up the wound before it gets infected.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Raphael left Mikey to it. He grabbed the canister of oxygen from the corner and attached it to one of the steril masks, securing it to Don’s face. There was no doubt that Don wasn’t getting enough oxygen, his breathing was too shallow. After that he cut away the gauze, the dried blood acting like glue against his brother’s plasteron. Mikey returned with the bags, preparing to insert the IV carefully while Raphael worked on the wound.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mikey, hand me the hydrogen peroxide.” Raphael glanced up at his brother, noticing the hand over his eyes as he handed him the bottle. Despite all the things they had seen in their short lives, Mikey was still squeamish. He was thankful when Raph had stepped up to seal his brother’s wound. He would never tell his brothers, but Mikey had managed to only throw up twice while stitching up the nasty gash on Leo’s head.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mikey managed to successfully insert both IVs by the time Raphael finished disinfecting the wound. He grasped his brother’s limp hand, resting his own on Don’s forehead. He knew Don was unconscious and couldn’t feel anything Raph was doing to him, but he still felt the driving need to comfort Don. “Don’t worry Donnie, soon you’ll be up and fixing all those new projects you’ve been raving about. Good as new.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Raphael began to stitch up the wound in his brother’s side, his expression squished in focus. He vaguely noticed Mikey disappear from the bedside. That is, until he heard a clattering and an outburst from nearby. Raphael unintentionally jerked his hand, almost ripping the stitching out in the process. His head whipped up to Michelangelo, anger beginning to overflow as his normally peppy brother yelled at one of the machines. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mikey, what kind of stupid are you?! I’m tryin to stitch up our brother over here!” Raphael looked up to see his brother staring at the machine he had just toppled over. Mikey quietly apologized before dropping down to the floor. He was turned away from his brothers, but Raph could hear the small hiccups as he finished up the stitching.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Suddenly Mikey felt a hand on his shoulder. He didn’t bother looking up, there was only one person it could have been. He quickly wiped at his eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What were you trying to do?” Raphael’s voice asked, having already lost the anger from before.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mikey fussed with the cords, staring at the useless machine as he replied. “I just...I wanted to actually </span>
  <em>
    <span>see </span>
  </em>
  <span>he’s okay. He looks so weak, so...dead. I thought I could at least set this up but I can’t even figure out how to do that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Raphael glanced at the machine Mikey had accosted in his anger. It was Don’s EKG. Raphael knew that the only two turtles who knew how to set it up were passed out behind them. He was sure they could figure it out eventually, but with how little sleep they had had, it would be a losing battle. Instead, Raphael took his brother’s arm and hoisted him up. He pulled Mikey over to Don’s side, guiding his hand to Don’s neck.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mikey allowed himself to be puppeteered. Underneath Don’s jaw, he could feel the soft but steady pulse. Raphael let go, knowing that right now this was all he could offer. Both of their brothers were out of the woods, and the remaining two were spent, dazed, and bone-tired. Their bodies had been running on adrenaline most of the night, and now they weren’t sure what to do with themselves. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Both turtles stood there, feeling as though they could collapse right onto the floor. It had been such a long, emotional, and physically taxing night. The adrenaline suddenly replaced itself with numbness. Mikey stared at Donatello, watching the slow breaths filling his chest. Raphael finally remembered his unsightly appearance and moved his aching body out towards the shower. “Will you be alright in here alone if I clean myself up?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mikey stared at him, trying to figure out what he meant. Then Mikey realized too, that Raph was still covered in Donatello’s blood. Mikey quickly turned away, back to his sleeping brother’s form. “Yeah, don’t worry, I’ll watch them.” His voice cracked, but Raphael knew it was because of his worn vocal cords, not because he was trying to be tough. Mikey continued to stand where Raph left him, allowing the small beats to reassure him. The sudden silence was disorienting. For once nothing else filled his mind. Not even the incessant ringing he’d sometimes hear. It felt like an empty wasteland had replaced his brain. No thoughts, no static, nothing. Truth be told, Mikey didn’t quite mind.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Raphael moved into the bathroom, not bothering to strip before walking into the tiled enclosure. He turned the knobs fully, letting the harsh impact of water ground him mentally. He couldn’t remember the bathroom having ever offered as much safety as it did now. Now alone, Raphael let himself be overcome. His legs buckled. He grasped the slick wall, slowly allowing himself to slide down onto the cool puddled floor of the shower. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Raphael felt like he should be ecstatic that they were all back home, seemingly safe now. None of his brothers were in danger anymore, he should feel happy. But all he felt was a dull rage drowning in sorrow. He felt an urge to cry or scream, he wasn’t sure which. More than that though, he wanted to curl up on the slowly warming tile underneath him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>In a moment of selfishness, he allowed himself to do just that. He let himself slip down to lay on his side, emptying his mind of any thoughts. He focused only on the strong droplets massaging his skin. His whole body buzzed, his nerves tingling as his adrenaline ebbed away. He let all his stress and worries mix with the blood, imagining them wash down together away from his body. It felt like he suddenly wasn’t there anymore, like time had stopped all together. Funny, in the bathroom it’s near impossible to know how much time passes. Dreamily, he continued to watch the hypnotizing swirls of blood flow down the drain.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>After what felt like an eternity, Raphael felt his mind finally return to him. This time he couldn’t bury the swelling in his throat and moved his hands to his face to soften the sound of the sobbing. Raphael wasn’t a fan of crying. It felt like he should have control over such things, but with every minute and tear that passed, he noticed he felt lighter. After expelling all that he had, his body was left with nothing but fatigue. The warm water was soothing, like a living blanket wrapped around him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He closed his eyes, telling himself he wouldn’t fall asleep. He let himself drift, his body attempting to distance himself from reality. After too long, Raphael decided he needed to return. He felt bad leaving Mikey alone for so long. He grabbed a towel, finally striping off his wet gear. His whole body felt so heavy it could fall through the tile, but his mind finally felt clear. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He made his way into his room. For a moment he stared at his chest, before deciding he was too tired to dress himself again. There’d be no point, he’d hopefully be passed out soon. Instead, he grabbed a spare mask and hung it around his neck.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When Raph returned, he found Mikey standing by the couch, staring down at it as if contemplating a life changing decision. He made his way over to him, using his towel to roughly wipe away some stray droplets on his jaw. He’d never seen his brother so worn out. It didn’t take a genius to realize that whatever Raphael had been struggling with emotionally, Mikey was probably feeling it thrice fold.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You okay bro?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mikey blinked at his brother. “Sorry, I was thinking about moving it into the lab.” Mikey moved a hand along the worn fabric. “Must have let my thoughts wander too long.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Raph glanced at the lab before sitting on the arm of the couch. He reached over to Mikey’s shoulder, commanding him to sit. He’d do anything to keep his brother smiling, but he also knew there wasn’t a magic word to make things right. As Raph struggled with finding the right words, Mikey spoke up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Raph, thanks for saving us. All of us.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Suddenly, Raph couldn’t take it anymore. His brother was too serious, and despite how proud he should be at Mikey’s maturity, it just felt unsettling. He hadn’t heard a single annoying quip from him since this whole thing started. He slid down to the couch next to Mikey, sweeping him up into a tight hug as he replied sternly. “You don’t need to thank me. You never need to thank me.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mikey hadn’t realized how badly he needed a hug until his brother’s arms were tightly wrapped around him. He let himself melt into the embrace, already feeling the tears pooling down his cheeks as Raph continued. “I know we get on each other’s nerves a lot sometimes, and I know I’ve let you guys down in the past. But, I’ll always be there when you guys need me. Always.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He clung to Raph like a lifeline, allowing the sudden and overwhelming fear and helplessness he had felt earlier in the night to burst through the dam he had been trying so hard to keep locked up. All of the emotions returned in full force, overwhelming the turtle’s mind. This time there was no danger to hide behind from the intense feelings. “I was so scared, Raph. Leo almost died, Don might still die! What if I hadn’t held on long enough?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Raphael let his brother finish, knowing Mikey really needed to just let these thoughts fly rather than cut him off with reassurances. He simply listened, rubbing his thumb over the back of his brother’s neck as he continued to cry into his shoulder. “What if I hadn’t been loud enough? What if I had just gotten you first? None of this would have happened!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>This went on for a while, the comforting reassurance of their physical presence relaxing them both. Eventually, Mikey allowed his full weight to lean on his brother. The loud cries eventually turned into sniffles, flinching in his brother’s hold as he regained control. He could feel the goopy mess of tears and snot on his brother’s shoulder. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mikey pulled away, still sniffling. “Sorry.” He apologized for the mess, but his brother simply smiled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You know, you did real good taking care of Leo.” After a beat, Raph looked to his brother, a proudness swelling inside him. “Dad would be proud of you. I know I am.” Raphael watched his brother’s face, his expression of sudden surprise. His eyes were slightly bloodshot, and he had some snot smeared across his face. Raphael chuckled to himself, thinking what a strange situation it was to have chosen now of all times to tell him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Before Mikey had a chance to process the words, his brother was smothering the damp towel on his face. “Wipe your snot Mike, it’s grossing me out.” Mikey chuckled as Raph playfully mussed the towel on his head, shoving him gently. He grabbed the towel away from him, a bittersweet smile lingering as he looked to his brother. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Secondly, don’t ever question how loud you are. I’ll tell you right now, astronauts on the moon could hear your voice. You’re like a sick orange banshee with a megaphone.” The comment caused Mikey to start in a fit of laughter. His normally roaring belly-laugh ended up more of a huffing and squeaking, but a laugh it was nonetheless. It made Raph feel like he had just won the lottery. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>There was a clattering in the lab, causing the moment to be forgotten. The two dashed to it, fearing a worsening change in their brother’s state. They shouldn’t have left their brothers alone for so long. Without the EKG, they’d have no way of knowing if something was wrong without keeping a vigilant eye.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>However, when they entered the lab, the image of their leader’s fallen form greeted them. His upper half was lying on the floor, one leg twisted under him. The other was under a mess of blankets still on the cot. Leo had stumbled out of his bed, his foot having caught in the twisted hold of the blanket. Even under the circumstances, Mikey couldn’t help but snicker at his normally graceful brother. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Geez Leo, why we thought you’d be a good patient and stay in bed is beyond me.” Raphael hoisted his brother up, pushing him back to the bed with a wide smile. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Leo resisted him, his focus on the cot behind them. His face was pale, body stiff as he weakly pushed against them. Leo was shaking, visibly drained and sickly. Despite his brother’s light attitudes, Leo remained focused, serious. “Donnie, is he...?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mikey could see where his brother’s attention fell. Behind them was Donatello’s cot. Their brother was deathly still, dried blood still covering parts of him. Without the EKG attached, Leo didn’t have much evidence to keep him from fearing the worst. He quickly moved to calm him. “It’s okay bro, Donnie’s alright. Raph managed to find him after you got that nasty head wound.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Leo collapsed in their arms and both brothers carefully placed his shaking form back onto the bed. As the last of his adrenaline drained from his reservoir, so did any energy. Leo could barely hold on to them as they moved the blanket away from the tangle of his legs. “I-I’m sorry. No one else was here, and I saw Don laying there. I thought for sure he was…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mikey placed a hand on his brother’s arm. “Nah, Leo I’m sorry. We shouldn’t have left you alone. I didn’t think you’d wake up so soon. How are you feeling?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Now that Leo had no more chemicals for his weary body to hide behind, he could feel the extent of his injuries full force. His neck felt like it was in a brace, rudely pinching every nerve he had. His head throbbed so hard he could see it in his vision. Behind his left eye, it felt like a large needle was burrowed into his brain. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m fine.” Leo brushed the question off, turning back to peer at Donatello. “How is he?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mikey turned to the table behind them, still littered with a slew of supplies. He moved through the many packets of medicine, reading them off to his brother. “I don’t really know what most of these are, so you’ll have to tell me which one I should get you. Probably something for the pain and swelling right? I don’t think Ibuprofen will be strong enough.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mikey, I said I was fine. Tell me about Don’s condition.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mikey turned back to his brother, swallowing hard as he stared. He could tell his brother was lying. All it took was a few seconds of studying his features to tell. Leo’s jaw was clamped tight, threatening to grind his teeth as he dealt with the obvious pain. Leo sat at an odd angle, choosing to crane his torso to get a better view of Don rather than with his stiff neck. “We handled Don the best we could, now all we can do is wait.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Leo never met his eyes, continuing to look to their unconscious brother with a furrowed brow. “How bad were his injuries? Is there any permanent damage?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Raph watched as a third party, the atmosphere turning quite dark. Although Leo was oblivious, Raphael could feel his orange brother winding up. His stare was sharp, and Raph watched as Mikey finally decided that he had had enough. In a moment of pure frustration, Mikey marched up to his brother. He grabbed Leo’s face, turning him to meet his eyes. Ignoring the hiss from the rough movement of his sore neck, he forced Leo to meet his surprisingly cold eyes. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Leo, for once in your life, can you just care about yourself?! You almost died!” There was a beat of shocked silence before Mikey dropped the grasp on his brother, suddenly ashamed of his outburst. He turned away, quickly moving out the door of the lab before he said something he’d regret. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mikey left the lab awkward and silent. Leo was still dumbfounded at the exchange, while Raph sadly stared at the door his brother had left through. He crossed his arms, sighing heavily as he leaned on one of the metal tables. Leo finally looked to Raphael, not understanding what had transpired. “What did I say?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Raphael shook his head. “Man you’re even more of an airhead than Donnie sometimes.” Raphael turned, pulling one of the stools close to sit on. “You really scared him back there.” Raph fused with the end of Leo’s blanket, choosing to not meet his brother’s eyes. “Back in the elevator shaft, he was calling my name. I’d never heard him scream like that.” He ripped some of the frayed bit of blanket off, letting it gently sail to the floor. “I don’t think I’ve ever felt so afraid in my life.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Raphael took a deep breath before he continued. “I thought something bad happened to him, something real bad. But when I got to the chute, I saw him dangling there, being pulled apart as he held onto you.” Leo’s eyes grew wide as Raph retold his tale, he watched him silently, never a word passing his lips. “I have no idea how long he had been hanging there, but I’m sure you noticed his voice. It had to have been a while for it to have gotten that bad. He was so terrified that his grip would give out and he’d drop you. And after just having watched Donnie fall into nothingness, well…I can understand being terrified of losing someone else.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Finally Raphael looked to Leo, using his eye contact to push his point across. “He had no way of getting back up. His only option was either to yell until someone finally heard him, or-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Or let me go.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There was a beat of silence before Raphael broke their eye contact, nodding. “His arm’s in pretty bad shape. I’m surprised your fat shell didn’t pull his elbow right out of its socket.” Raphael attempted a smile, but it fell flat. Sighing again, he stood and turned away. “I need to wrap it before he gets into trouble.” Raphael gathered some supplies, his shell turned to Leo the entire time. He moved to the door, pausing when Leo called to him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wait. Raph, can you tell him to come back?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Right now he should really be sleeping. Neither of us have gotten much since we got back home.” Raph thought for a moment, but decided against it in the end. “You owe him big time bro. He really saved your shell back there. The least you could have done was answer his question honestly.” Leo never responded, but Raph was confident that he was already aware. “I’ll be back later to keep an eye on you two.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And with that, Leo was left in the infirmary alone. He glanced at Donatello, now able to notice the fog occasionally appearing from inside the oxygen mask. Leo leaned back, trying not to focus on the intense banging in his skull. He should have just taken some meds. He looked over at the table for a moment, considering trying to get out of bed again. He turned away, realizing he wasn't strong enough to get to them on his own. Closing his eyes, he resigned himself, believing he deserved the pain.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Leo wondered if he should sleep. No one had told him otherwise, but he figured he should be safe than sorry until he was cleared from any concussions. After a while, Raphael returned. In spite of what he had said, Mikey had ended up coming back on his own. Leo turned to his brother, who was clenching his jaw, eyes averted as he tried not to let himself tear up. Finally, he noticed the sling around his brother’s right arm. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m so sorry, Mikey.” When his brother continued to stare at the ground, Leo reached out to grasp his wrist. Despite his tough farce, Mikey’s lip pouted slightly, his cheeks puffing. Leo couldn’t help but be reminded of when they were little. “The determination alone needed to hold onto me that long…Well, you really pulled through.” Mikey looked up to see a sad smile on his brother’s face. “It must have been so hard going through that alone. Thanks for saving my stubborn ungrateful shell.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mikey sniffed, playing off the feat in his own comical way. “Nah, it’s no big deal. Raph technically saved us both.” A mischievous smile crept up on the turtle’s mouth, “Although, you could repay me with a week off of training.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Leo chuckled, glancing back at Mikey’s sling. “I think we’re all going to be off training for a while.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mikey sagged into Leo’s bed, “Oh thank goodness. I’m so beat I don’t think I could twirl a nunchuck, even if I wanted to.” Leo chuckled, rubbing his hand over the back of his brother’s shell. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He looked up when he heard a grating against the ground. The sound shuffled towards the lab slowly. Leo stared at the door, waiting for whatever it was to come in. Leo recognized Raphael’s shell first. The turtle was heaving the lounge chair into the lab. He collapsed into it, kicking up the recline with a huff. Leo continued to stare at his brother questioningly until he finally made eye contact.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What?” Raphael asked defensively. “You expect me to sit on that sorry excuse for a stool all night?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Leo simply shook his head and shifted his legs, they were starting to fall asleep under Mikey’s weight. Mikey didn’t stir, even when Raph yelled at him to move. “Mike, you can’t both fit on there, you’re going to crush Leo in his sleep. Go get your mattress if you’re gonna sleep in here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mikey groaned long and dramatically as he slid from the cot to the floor. He moved like a zombie, the precious minutes he spent in blissful sleep already affecting him. He stumbled over a pile of scraps, rubbing his eyes as he left. Raph instantly fell asleep, muttering to his brother to wake him if he was dying. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Leo propped his pillow, leaning reclined. His head throbbed too much when he laid flat. He tried to close his eyes but the pain was too distracting. There was no way he would be able to sleep. Thankfully, Mikey returned, mattress rolling in front of him. He plopped it down near the recliner with a splat, the wind force rippling Leo’s bandana. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey Mikey?” Leo asked sheepishly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mmm?” Mikey hummed in response as he meticulously laid out his blanket.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Can you hand me some acetaminophen?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mikey stared at him for a moment, trying to process what word just passed through his brother’s lips. As it clicked, Mikey lit up. “I knew it! You aren’t fine!” Mikey moved to the table of goodies, instantly forgetting the bed. “What does it look like? How many do you need?” Mikey raised up several of the bottles, turning for his brother to see.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s really not that serious. I’ve felt worse.” Leo searched the table with his eyes, not wanting to keep his brother from blissful sleep any longer. “No, not that one.” Mikey dropped the other bottles to the floor, having picked up the same one too many times. “Wait, there!” Leo pointed to the one in Mikey’s left hand. He fumbled with the lid before handing it to Leo. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll be right back.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Before Leo could ask where his brother was dashing off to, Mikey was gone. When he reappeared, he carried a tall glass of water, and several ice packs. “Here.” He dropped them all into Leo’s lap before handing him the water.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thanks.” Leo tentatively took the glass, still shocked that his brother could even stand after having gone almost 24 hours without sleep. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>As Leo swallowed the pills, Mikey disappeared again. He gathered up a few of the ice packs, laying them around his neck on the pillow. With his other hand, he gingerly placed the widest pack against his head. He heard a grunting at the doorway, and glanced over to see the orange turtle hefting the TV into the lab. Over his arms was a tangle of wires and controllers.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Uh, Mikey?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What are you doing?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Leo watched his brother set up the console next to the cot. “Raph and I think you could have a concussion, so it’s best if you don’t sleep. I figured it’s a lot easier to stay awake with some entertainment, you know?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Leo couldn’t help but smile. Even as dog-tired as Mikey was, he still was putting his brothers first. “That’s really thoughtful of you Mikey. Thanks.” Mikey held out the remote to Leo, who took it with a smile. As Leo tried to move it to his lap, he was met with resistance. His smile faded as he looked back to Mikey in confusion. His brother’s expression became serious.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Leo, you have to promise to wake one of us up if something happens.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Leo allowed his shoulders to relax. “I promise Mikey.” He tugged at the remote again. It still didn’t budge.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I mean it Leo. You’re going to sit here and rest. No working, no loopholes, I don’t want you to even </span>
  <em>
    <span>think </span>
  </em>
  <span>about anything related to work. Actually no, I don’t want you to even think. If you feel off in any way or if you need something, you </span>
  <em>
    <span>have </span>
  </em>
  <span>to tell us.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Leo sighed, releasing the remote back to his brother. He placed a hand over his plasteron. There was no way Mikey was leaving until he agreed. “Turtle’s honor, brother.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mikey nodded, satisfied. He flipped on the TV before tossing it back to Leo. He threw one of Don’s rubber balls at the switch, too lazy to turn off the lights himself. Leo watched his brother trudge back to his mattress, falling face first onto it with a heavy sigh. Raphael was still snoring loudly in his own chair, all of the noise falling on deaf ears. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Leo stared blankly at the muted screen. After an hour he felt himself sinking further into the pillows and allowed the peaceful feeling to settle over his body as the medicine kicked in. Knowing all his brothers were safe and nearby did wonders for his endless anxiety. He stared dully at the screen in front of him, watching a reporter discuss what had transpired earlier at Biotech. Leo balanced the ice pack on his head as he listened intently at the low volume. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Although we don’t know exactly what has transpired, Biotech representatives aren’t ruling out an accidental malfunction from one of their underground laboratories. Regardless, sources say that  several of the projects were in beta and could be the source of the blast. At this moment police are confident that it was not a terrorist attack, but are investigating a lead as possible arson. The CEO at Biotech has reached out and-”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Leo grabbed for the remote, deciding this topic was quickly derailing the relaxation Mikey had made him promise to do. Truthfully, even with the pain medicine, he could still feel the sharp pain in the side of his head. It wasn’t constant thankfully, but it was intense enough. He absentmindedly brushed his hand over the gauze on his face, wondering if the wound was bad enough to leave a scar. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Another inch lower and he would have lost his eye. Leo shivered, making a mental note to add more blindfolded sparing to their training whenever they recovered. He flipped through the channels, hoping to come across a rerun of Star Trek or even one of their father’s soap operas. The television broadcasters must have had it out for him because all that was playing was news and advertisements. He tried to spend the next several hours meditating, letting the droning talk shows affect him like white noise. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Unfortunately, now that the medicine had stopped the throbbing in his head, all Leo could do was think. He moved the warmed ice packs away from him, wiping the stray drops of water away from his neck. He tapped his fingers on the bed, feeling suddenly antsy. He should have asked Mikey to grab his novel from the living room earlier. Television could only keep his attention so long.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He looked to his brother’s sleeping form. Leo found himself wishing he could pass out as well, having only the few hours of sleep given to him by his initial injury. But he promised his brother to be good while they slept. He had also promised Mikey he’d wake them if he needed anything. This was just a book though, hardly a reason to wake his tired siblings. He glanced at the open door, calculating his chances of grabbing it successfully without them noticing. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>His brothers were too deep asleep to wake from his tip toed movements, but if Leo’s legs betrayed him and he stumbled, they would wake for sure. Leo did not fancy the idea of an angry and sleep deprived Michelangelo chewing him out. He stared at the wall for a long time, finally gaining the courage to sit up on his own. A stray ice pack fell into his lap, and Leo thought to stop by the kitchen to replenish them as well. He gingerly pivoted to the edge of the cot. The movement sent another throb up his neck and into his skull, the sharp pain returning. He grasped the side of his head, applying pressure until the pain receded. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He felt hot, and kicked off the blankets coddling him. He must have a fever. He didn’t know how long it had been since he was given the anti-inflammatory pain meds, and opted to play it safe until his brothers awoke. He could deal with a little more pain. He tentatively placed his feet on the cool concrete floor, sliding down slowly to test his weight. His legs felt strong enough to hold him, and Leo grabbed the spent ice packs as he stepped forward.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He managed to make it to the kitchen quietly, neither of his brother’s stirring as he left. He threw the warm packs into the freezer, replacing it with a few fresh ones. As he moved back to the lab, he bent over the couch to grab his novel. The motion caused blood to rush to his brain, sending the spiked pain back with full force. He hissed, dropping the ice pack as he clutched the side of his head. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>After a moment the feeling subsided again. Leo reached down to grab the fallen ice pack, intently listening for any movement from the room. Thankfully, it was still quiet. Leo softly moved back inside, careful not to incur the wrath of Mikey as he shuffled past. Leonardo’s eyes wandered to Donatello’s still form as he moved to his cot. In a moment of weakness, Leo allowed himself to visit his brother instead. He reached down to brush against his Don’s face, feeling the warmth from it ground him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When he had first woken up, he felt dazed, confused. The only other person he had seen was his brother, as still as stone on the cot across from him. In his delirious state he was certain, struck with unfathomable dread, that his brother was dead. Donatello was of ashen color, made more apparent by the dried blood on his body. There was no soft blip of the electronic heart monitor, and Leo had jumped to the conclusion that he had missed his brother’s passing. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It hadn’t occurred to him at the time that his brothers hadn’t known how to set up the EKG. He brushed his hand over his brother’s head, soft, thankful. He had only felt such terrible sorrow a few times in his young life, and each time it was equally as dreadful. Donatello’s breath hitched at Leo’s touch. At first he thought something was wrong, but Don had only reacted to him, his form twitching as if dreaming. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Donnie?” Leo whispered, leaning in closer. Donatello continued to twitch, incoherent mumbling passing his beak. With great joy and surprise, Leo watched his brother’s eyes flutter open. He tried to ask how his brother felt, but Donatello’s gaze passed right through him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>To Donatello, the world phased in with sensations. The first one that broke through the haze was the tightness around his torso. He registered the feeling, as it provided a resurgence of memories associated with it. Images of the long night previous, having been blackmailed, threatened, the intense fear of his brothers finding him flooded his mind like a burst dam. The memories fumbled over each other in a chaotic rush without order. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>In an instant he sat up, keeling over as he clutched his chest in a panic, feeling every inch as he searched for the abomination attached to him. He shook, attempting to pull at the band around him, his fingers fumbling over the folds. He could feel the wires surrounding him. There was no way to tell how much longer he had left, the screen had gone dark, the timer no longer teasing him with its countdown.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He felt like he was suffocating, something wrapped around his face. His shaking hands moved to it, flailing to pry it from his head. A pair of strong hands stopped him from succeeding, incessantly pulling them away from him. There was a voice so familiar trying to calm him. His eyes shot up, a look of absolute dread on his face as he recognized the blue band around the person’s face. If Don thought the nightmare couldn’t get any worse, he was severely mistaken. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>His heart leapt in fear as he stared at his brother, stuttering. “L-Leo?” He swallowed, trying not to let the tremor in his voice overwhelm his words. “You...You can’t be here!” Don stammered in disbelief. His heart hammered in his ears, it felt like he couldn't catch his breath. “You have to leave, you have to get out before it goes off!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tilting his head, Leo softened his grip. Donatello didn’t understand why Leo was so calm. Not when it was so clear why he should be running as far away from him as possible. Leo’s voice was quiet, his confusion turning into pity. “Don, it’s okay. The bomb’s gone.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Donatello finally looked over his chest. Only, replacing the bomb was the mess of bandages he had attempted to rip from his body. He gently touched the white and red coverings, still unsure it was real. Donatello, finally coherent, met his brother’s eyes, a slight worry lacing them. “Wait, what happened to the bomb?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>At this point Michelangelo and Raphael had woken up, trying to blink away the grogginess gifted to them from their REM cycle. Both of them stumbled over themselves on their way to Don’s side, having heard his outburst. Leo moved away from his brother, now confident Don wouldn’t try to rip the IVs from his body in the delusion. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It went off.” Leo sat on the edge of the bed, his body quickly reminding him of how weak he still felt. As both brothers appeared, asking questions, Leo fixed the mask back over Don’s face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Donatello didn’t hear his brother’s words, it was all a faraway muffle of noise. He continued to stare at his chest, the throbbing making the presence known of the wound hidden beneath. He pressed on the swollen cut, letting the sharp pain force his memory. Slowly, he remembered what else had happened. It came to him in bits and pieces, but it was starting to fall into place.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Leo held his arm out to silence his brothers, who were still crowding Donatello. “Let him breathe, he’s not all there yet.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Raphael took a step back, but Mikey only leaned in closer, placing his hands over Donatello’s. His brother hadn’t looked at them yet, he just stared at his palms, trying to organize his thoughts. As horrifying as the events should have been, it was more terrifying to not be able to remember them. So he began sinking back into the pillows as he placed everything neatly away in his mind. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He remembered almost being blown into an unidentifiable mush, he remembered almost getting crushed to death, he most certainly remembered his brothers coming to his rescue. One thing he didn’t remember though, was how he got back. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ah!” Finally he looked up to his brothers with clarity. His mouth was hanging open as he tried to figure out what to say. His three brothers watched patiently as he opened and closed his mouth a few times. Suddenly Don’s face turned sheepish, and turned in on himself slightly. “You guys aren’t going to yell at me, are you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Now it was the others' turn to gawk at their brother. Mikey was the first to reply, wearing his emotions freely. “You almost died like twice Don, why would we be mad? It’s not like you were the one who blew up the building.” Mikey cried out when a sudden thwack connected with his head. He turned to glare at Leo, who had been the source of the flicking.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mike, he did blow up the building.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mikey rubbed the back of his head, remembering why Donnie had been there in the first place. “Yeah but it wasn’t his fault!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Donnie’s face was crestfallen as he continued to stare at his palms. “Who knows what that person will do with those plans, those chemical equations. Dangerous plans that I pretty much hand delivered to him on a silver platter.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mikey squeezed his hands, “Bro, listen to yourself. You had a bomb strapped to you, it's not like you had much choice.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Leo placed his hand on Mikey’s shoulder, drawing him back as he leaned in. “I think the question we should be asking is: Who should we blame, Don?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Don placed his head in his hands. A growl of frustration lacing his words, “I don’t know! I can’t remember anything from back at the junkyard. They only ever messaged me the targets, I never saw them.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, think Don.” Raphael crossed his arms, liking very much to finally find out exactly where he should stick his sais, “Something must have tipped you off, or given you a clue. Something you found off, or that stuck out?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Donatello shook his head, “All I could figure out was that they seemed pretty intelligent. Whoever it was knew how to hack into my phone, and they obviously have knowledge of explosives and chemical compounds. But that’s all that is, simple conjectures. I have no real facts about them.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Leo sighed, beginning to feel the effects of the wound again as the last of the medicine wore off. He rubbed the side of his head as he spoke, willing the spike in pain to go away. “Alright. It’s not your fault Don. Maybe you’ll remember something else later, for now we all need to rest.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Despite Leo’s orders, Don made a move towards the edge of the bed. He managed to get one leg off before his brothers stopped him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mikey placed his hands on his brother’s shoulders, stopping him from getting further. “Donnie what are you doing?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You better be going to the bathroom because there’s no reason for you to be gettin out of bed right now.” Raphael added with a serious tone. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I can’t just sit here and rest while a madman fully capable of creating a bioweapon that could cripple New York is out there somewhere.” Donatello tried to move Mikey out of the way, but in his state, he could barely even hold himself up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Leo moved from his spot on the cot to stand, trying not to let the incessant throbbing deter him. “Don what you need to do is rest. You lost a lot of blood and you could tear open your stitches by just standing. You’re in no condition to be doing any research.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Donatello shook his head, his grip on Mikey’s arm tightening. “Leo, you don’t understand. Because of me, they have the makings for deadly biological weaponry. Anything that happens now, it’ll be my fault! If even one person gets hurt because of me, I-” Donatello swallowed, feeling slightly lightheaded, “I’d never be able to forgive myself.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No.” Raph snapped, drawing everyone’s attention to him. His eyes were cold and dangerous, but they weren’t directed at his brother. “It’s whoever did this to you’s fault. Not yours Don, no matter what sick twisted complex you’ve cooked up for yourself. I won't stand here and let you shoulder the actions of some psychopath.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Raph’s right.” Leo placed a reassuring hand on his brother’s arm. “Whatever happens now, we can figure out. All of us, this time together.” He smiled, and Donatello felt each of his brother’s hands supporting him. He suddenly felt lighter, as if he could actively see the burden being lifted from him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah bro, if someone messes with one of us, they mess with all of us.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Don could feel the weight from his burden travel out of his body and onto the supporting hands around him, distributing it evenly amongst the four of them. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>As he looked to each of his brothers, Donatello couldn’t help but smile back. “Together then.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Suddenly Michelangelo screeched, his high pitched and worn voice turning into mostly air. “You!” His brothers stared as Mikey whipped to Leo, unabashed venom in his words. Leo gawked at his brother, unsure of what he did, but scared all the same. “You were supposed to be in bed, you were supposed to wake me! What were you doing up?!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Leo backed away slowly, lifting his hands in a peaceful gesture. “Now Mikey, listen, I know how it looked but you have to trust me, I was just-” Leo didn’t have a chance to finish as Mikey lept at him, barely dodging his brother’s hand as he ran after him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Donatello laughed, wincing as the action caused the pain in his side to flare up. As Mikey chased Leo off to his own cot, Donatello turned to his remaining brother. “I don’t really remember everything, but you were the one who brought me back, right? Thank you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Raph breathed deeply through his nose. Looking up, trying to decide exactly what information he wanted Don to know, and what he’d rather keep to himself. It was selfish he knew, he had been vulnerable during that time. The shared words felt secret, and even though it was between the two of them, it felt wrong to tell Don about them. “Yeah,” Raphael laughed, hiding behind the humor, “probably for the best you don’t remember me dropping you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Don scrunched his face in thought, as if trying to coax the memory from him. He remembered scenes, images, and feelings more than vivid memories in the tunnel. He wasn’t sure why but when he thought about it he felt a tightness in his heart. As if a bittersweet emotion was tied to the memory. Donatello side eyed his brother, “I’m going to give you the benefit of the doubt and say it wasn’t on purpose.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Raphael laughed again, carefully pulling the blanket back over his brother. He patted Don’s arm as Michelangelo inserted some pain killers into one of the IV drips. “Get some sleep Donnie, I think we’re all a few blinks away from passing out.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Donatello allowed the medicine to numb his pain, relaxing further into the soft pillows as his body continued to fall into a sleepy state. He drowsily watched Raphael and Michelangelo make their way back to their respective stations, easing themselves back in with a blissful sigh. The only lights were from the silent TV set up in front of Leo. His remaining brother was nursing a slew of ice packs around his neck and temple. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>For a while Donatello watched Leo move between leafing through his book, and glancing at his brothers. Everytime his eyes met his brother’s, Leo would simply smile before moving back to his book, as if reminding himself each time that they were all still there. He kicked himself for not relying on his brothers earlier as Mikey and Raphael’s soft breathing lulled him further into sleep. No matter what happened next, Donatello knew that as long as they faced it together, they could overcome anything. The soft light flickering from the TV glowed in the room, reminding him of the countless nights they had fallen asleep in the living room together, just like this. For the first time since coming back, Donatello finally felt like he was at home. </span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Thank you to everyone who commented as I posted, it always helps me to get on writing knowing there are people out there waiting for me to release the next chapter each week.</p><p>As for any questions about the fic, I left it open ended because I have a potential conclusion outlined. Since I don't know yet if I want to finish writing that part, I thought it would be better to publish it as a sequel instead of new chapters here. So as of July 4th (2020), this fic can be seen as a standalone.</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>There was a long break between this and my last, mostly because I'm having some real trouble connecting the dots on my main tmnt fic. I don't want to post any chapters until I have all of the plot kinks worked out, but I've hit a brick wall. So, instead I decided to write this as a break.</p></blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>